The First Missions
by KellyShepard087
Summary: Every hero has a start, a place where who they are is defined and decided. This is Kelly Shepard's story of where she makes herself, defines who she is, and sets the groundwork of who she will become. **Entirely Left/Non-Canon origins story to the "Life and Love Go On" trilogy**
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Hello! I have something brand spanking new for you guys, something to wet your appetite for some more story on our great Commander Kelly Shepard. So, here it is! I will be updating this as close to every Monday as I can.

Enjoy!

And please, Read and Review!

...

Standing amongst the crowd of sailors freshly graduated from Alliance Recruit Training, a young, tall, red headed woman wearing full Aliance dress blues, her nametag proudly proclaiming 'Shepard'.

She forlornly watches the families and sailors celebrate their finishing of boot.

"Buck up Kels." a woman with bright platinum hair comes up to her. She barely stands at Shepard's shoulders as she wraps her arm around Shepard's waist and ruffles her hair out of its tie, "You ain't all alone, you got me."

"Thanks Deunan." Shepard grins a crooked grin as she ducks out of Deunan's grip, trying to pull her shoulder length hair back into its horsetail. "I'm not sure always having you is a good thing."

Deunan scowls and throws a light punch into her friend's shoulder, her green and silver eyes dance in mischief despite her scowl, "Hey, if it weren't for me, you never would've made it this far."

"Uh-huh, you keep on believing in that." Shepard smirks and jumps to the side to avoid a second punch. She rubs at her offended shoulder, Deunan's first punch having not been so light.

"See if I ever pull your ass out of the fire again." Deunan scoffs, turning her back as she crosses her arms.

"Aw, c'mon Deunan, gimme a break." Shepard takes Deunan's shoulder, turning her around, "I was just teasing you."

Deunan can't hide her grin of amusement, having never been cross in the first place, "All good. Let's ditch this dump and have some real fun." Her wolf's grin has Shepard on edge, but it is also infectious.

"What did you have in mind?" Shepard raises an eyebrow as she looks over the crowd again, this time seeing them in a different light. They look so much younger than she feels, none of them are over 20, the majority her age at 18, but they all seem so much younger. She supposes that it has to do with the differences in their lives.

Deunan gives Shepard a nudge with her elbow when she sees her friend lost in thought, "Oy, thick head. C'mon, I've got a great place in mind."

Shepard snaps her attention back to Deunan and smiles, "Alright, where's this 'place' you're thinking of?"

….

Shepard laughs looking up from her drink at the bar Deunan chose. Deunan is on the dance floor, with at least four other women dancing with her, to the disapproving look of the man who got shut out. The sour look on his face as Deunan begins to dance with the women has Shepard biting back harder laughs and snorts.

Looking into her glass of whiskey, Shepard's thoughts turn inward as she thinks on what the last eight weeks have been like.

Alliance training was nothing like she expected it to be. It was both tougher and yet, in places, it seemed easier than what she believed it to be. The physical demands of their DIs was rigorous but Shepard had been through worse, she was more than physically fit upon entering the Alliance. After over a year and a half of being a merc, what the Alliance forced them through was almost a breeze for her.

She graduated top of her class in hand to hand combat, closely followed by Deunan, top in both short and long range marksmanship. Top of the ranks in their engineering studies, her experiences growing up having given her an edge up on the rest.

The only place she didn't excel at as well was the medical courses, she just didn't have the aptitude for medical care beyond the very basic field first aid.

It had earned her constant criticism from her DIs, and much amusement to her fellow trainees. She had been mocked by all as a run and gun shooter. Simply content to slap medigel and a bandage on wounds and move on, she failed to see where any more knowledge and experience was necessary.

She is interrupted from her thoughts as Deunan crashes into her table, spilling all their drinks to the floor.

Standing up she wipes her face and shakes off Shepard's hands. Staring down the man from before she growls, "That was a cheap shot. You're mine."

Shepard doesn't have the time to hold her friend back before she launches forward. Deunan moves in a near blur of motion around the man, hitting him from all sides, and easily dodging his rage fueled attempts at shots on her.

"Deunan!" Shepard calls out, running into the fray to try and pull her friend back before she does any real damage to the drunken man.

Shepard succeeds at grabbing Deunan and pushing her away, as she turns back to ask the man if he's alright, she is blindsided by a sharp punch. The left side of her face lights up in pain as she sprawls to the floor.

She pulls her hand away from her jaw, her lip is split and blood has spilled onto her hand. Looking up in shock at the man she has to duck and roll to the side to avoid a fierce kick from him aimed at her midsection.

Jumping to her feet she faces off against the man, her face set in focused concentration, "Alright, that was uncalled for. I'll give you one chance to walk away, no grudges held." She holds her arms up, but leaves her feet set to dodge in a heartbeat if needed.

"Your friend there is a disgusting whore." He growls, she can see his eyebrow and cheek are beginning to swell from a shot from Deunan,

"I am not!" Deunan snarls from behind Shepard, she risks a glance back and sees two other patrons are holding her back, and doing a good job at it. Deunan is struggling like mad to get back into the fight.

"Cool it Deunan." Shepard tells her, her voice more commanding and confident than she feels. She turns back to the man, "Ok, I'm gonna let that slide, if you back off and leave. I don't want to fight you."

He snarls and lunges forward, swinging wildly for Shepard's face again. She ducks, jabbing her fist sharply into his gut, doubling him over. She spins around behind him and kicks him hard in the back, knocking him to the floor.

He regains his feet, gasping for air, rounding on Shepard he glares murder at her, "I will kill you. You are just as disgusting as your slut of a girlfriend."

Shepard can't help a chuckle, responding in a hope to distract him, "First off, she ain't my girlfriend, hasn't been for some time. And secondly, calling me disgusting is your last mistake. You aren't gonna kill me. It's you they'll be mopping off the floor."

As he comes in once more, charging to grab her around her waist, she twists at the last second, one hand on his collarbone she grabs his hip and jerks, effectively flipping him over her hip and crashing backwards into some barstools, knocking them over.

Bad luck for her, they were occupied. The men get back to their feet, shove the drunk back towards Shepard before starting an all out brawl.

"Time to go." Deunan grabs Shepard's elbow tugging her away.

Shepard doesn't know how Deunan got free, but she's glad of it as the two women duck and dodge their way out of the bar, skidding around the side corner of the bar as they see Alliance patrol cars coming down the road.

"Shit." Shepard swears, she changes directions and pulls Deunan onto a motorbike that is sitting nearby. "C'mon, let's go."

"Um, Shep." Deunan points to the center dash, "We haven't got keys for this, and no idea who's it is."

"Would you rather get pinched by the cops on our first night out of boot?" Shepard draws up her left arm and omni-tool, quickly hacking the controls of the bike to start it, "And I never need keys." She smirks as she kicks the bike into high gear and peels off out of the bar's lot and in the opposite direction of the Alliance patrols. The two women laugh the whole way down the road as they ride into the night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Hello all! Here's the new chapter for you guys, a day early. Cause I have a busy day tomorrow so I won't have time to upload. This is a fun chapter, showing off some of Shep's skills, and introducing someone, special.

Enjoy! As always, R&R please!

...

Shepard shakes her head, toweling her face and shoulders dry after dropping from the chin up bar. She looks around the training room, already bored from just a month off after a mission. Even a short skirting tour around the outer rim of council space colonies was better than just sitting around waiting. She's been out of boot for a year now, and has already gone through four ship assignments.

Surely new orders will be coming across the coms any day now. Surely. Deunan has already sent back reports from her division assigned to a ship out in the terminus systems. Deunan's seeing all kinds of action, fighting off batarian pirate ships and mercs that are putting their necks out too far.

Yet, here she sits, waiting for something, anything to come across.

She does a second look around the room and spots the sparring ring, she grins, seeing a woman and man going at it, the woman appears to have the upper hand.

Shepard steps up to the side of the ring, leaning against the low railing she looks to the guy next to her.

"Hey, Lewis. Who's she?" Shepard indicates the woman, she is sparring in just her NWU pants and tank top, her blouse with her name and rank discarded to the side.

Lewis, a short dark skinned man with a slight hispanic accent looks up to her, "You don't know her?" He raises an eyebrow, grinning, "The great explorer Shepard doesn't know who someone is?"

Shepard cuffs him across the shoulder, "Just tell me." She ignores his comment and looks over the woman, noting her black hair pulled back into a tight bun, although a few strands have come loose from her tumbling and darting around the mat.

Whoever she is, she's extremely agile more so than Shepard. Her build is tall and lithe, her muscles slim and wiry under her skin. Shepard can see where her strength lies as she delivers more kicks and trips than any other attacks.

"That there is Lieutenant JG Reynolds." Lewis chuckles looking back up to the fascinated Shepard watching with rapt attention, "Somebody's star struck." he chuckles, giving Shepard's hip a nudge with his elbow.

"Oh shove it." Shepard scowls, elbowing Lewis back, "I am not star struck. Just never thought we'd see anybody new here for awhile, considering no one has come for weeks now. And she's one hell of a fighter."

"Heard from a friend she topped the list back in boot." Lewis grins seeing Shepard's attention is back on Reynolds again, she's winning the fight against poor Richards, who is always outmatched.

"Oh yeah?" Shepard raises an eyebrow, "Someone took over my spot?"

"So I heard." Lewis looks back to Shepard when she lays her towel over the rail, "What are you up to?"

"Well, somebody's gotta to see if she really is as good as me." Shepard winks at Lewis with one of her crooked grins as she ducks under the rail into the sparring ring.

"You're gonna get yourself in trouble woman." Lewis calls after her, "I'm sure as hell not gonna be the one carrying you out of the ring." He nods towards the two ensigns dragging the semi conscious Richards off the sparring mat.

"Pfft, I'll be fine." Shepard scoffs as she steps up to Reynolds when she turns around, toweling her face dry.

"Can I help you?" Reynolds' beauty is stunning, causing Shepard to do a double take. The woman is like a doll turned human, only difference is a sharpness to her deep blue eyes, and a stern tilt to her chin. But those two traits add to her beauty in Shepard's eyes.

"I heard you are the top name on the hand to hand combat lists in boot." Shepard crosses her arms, her hip cocked slightly, her sly crooked grin in place, "I'm here to test you on that."

"Oh, you are, are you?" Reynolds raises an eyebrow, smirking at Shepard. "And you would be?"

"Shepard's the name. I'm the person who's gonna prove to you who belongs at the top of that list." Shepard settles into her fighter's stance, "Wanna have a go?"

Reynolds tosses her towel back over the low railing and turns back to Shepard, dropping into her own stance, "Cocky much? What are the stakes?"

Shepard smirks and thinks for a moment, then grins her slyest grin, "Winner gets bragging rights, and a date."

Reynolds raises an eyebrow, a mischievous glint to her eyes, "I'll take the bragging rights, and skip the date. Let's go."

Shepard smirks at her comment, then dances in close. Making a feint of a punch towards Reynolds' face, she dives her other fist low and is surprised when it hits empty air, followed by two sharp jabs to her back. Reynolds' had gotten around behind her, Shepard twists around with a roundhouse kick to force Reynolds back as she regains her balance and stance, they dance circles around the ring a moment, Shepard wary of darting in so confidently again.

She watches Reynolds' abdomen and not her face, watching for the tell of rippling muscle to denote her attack. There, Reynolds' right side twitches as she spins into a trip slide, Shepard flips over her sweeping foot and spins into a low kick, it connects with Reynolds side as she pushes to her feet, she doubles over a moment and Shepard jumps in, driving her elbow down into Reynolds' back.

She shifts her aim to hit the other woman in a kidney instead of crippling her spine. As Reynolds goes down, Shepard lifts her knee up into her face, her knee collides with Reynolds forehead, knocking the other woman to the deck, dazed.

Shepard steps back to catch her breath before leaning over to smile wickedly at Reynolds, "And you thought you were gonna win?" She holds her hand out to help the other woman up.

Reynolds takes Shepard's hand and pulls herself up sharply, yanking Shepard down towards the deck.

Shepard responds instinctively as she lands, slapping the deck and sweeping her legs around, knocking Reynolds back to the deck again. She continues the spin until she is kneeling on top of the gasping Reynolds.

"Nice try." Shepard pins Reynolds' hands above her head, her knees keeping Reynolds' legs and lower torso pinned, "Yield. I've won this one."

Reynolds tries to shift her weight to roll Shepard off of her, only to have Shepard grip and press down on her harder, She gasps and nods, "I yield."

Shepard grins her crooked grin as she stands, offering her hand once more. Reynolds forgoes taking the offered hand, pushing herself to her feet.

She dusts off her hands and grabs her towel, drying the sweat off of her face and shoulders, she looks to Shepard curiously, "That wasn't Alliance training you just used."

Shepard grins,"No, it wasn't. I've got a trick or two up my sleeve."

"Care to tell what they are? Where you learned to fight like that?" Reynolds picks up her blouse and begins to walk towards the showers and locker room.

Shepard falls into step beside her, "A girl's gotta have some secrets, don't she?"

The grin that Shepard gives has Reynolds more curious about this other woman, "Tell you what. I go with you on that date, and you tell me where you learned to fight like that."

Shepard pauses at her locker, thoughts tumbling in her head, she had been joking about the date. Then again, what could one date hurt?


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** Hello all! Got a fun chapter for you today, moving the story right on along. Got some exciting stuff to come. Keep tuned in!

Enjoy! And please, Read and Review!

...

Waking slowly, Shepard sits up slowly, being careful of the woman sleeping in her arms, she looks down on Lin and smiles. Just a few short weeks later, with many a date in that time, and the woman, Linda Reynolds, who Shepard sparred with has become the woman, Lin, that she is now in love with.

She still can't believe it herself. It has been four years since she has allowed herself to care for another woman. After the hell of Mindoir, and losing Aly, Shepard swore herself off of loving ever again.

And yet, here she is, laying in bed with the most beautiful woman she has ever seen. Having Lin makes all of her previous bedmates seems like distant memories. She doesn't want anyone other than Lin. This woman with all her beauty, grace, and spunk has captured Shepard's heart in a way she never thought possible.

She slowly strokes her fingers across Lin's brow and cheek, gently caressing her soft skin. Taking in all her beauty, not wanting this to ever end.

Lin slowly wakes, blinking her eyes open. Seeing Shepard leaning over her she smiles, "Hello you."

Shepard returns her grin, looking into Lin's eyes, marveling at the blue near as dark as a midnight sky. "What makes you love a crazy fool like me?"

"I'm not so sure about the crazy part, but you are no fool." Lin sits up, giving Shepard a soft kiss as she strokes her cheek, "You are the smartest, cleverest person I've ever met."

Shepard grins as she covers Lin's hand with her own, "I like that. You're the most incredible woman I've ever met."

Lin smiles, and opens her mouth to reply, but Shepard's and her omni-tools go off. Looking to Shepard, who is stretching across the floor to reach her omni-tool discarded last night, she can't help grinning.

"What have we here?" she comments opening the file that was sent to her.

Shepard retrieves her tool and lays back in the bed, drawing up the file, she takes a quick scan over it and groans.

"What are you making a fuss over?" Lin laughs at Shepard's sour face, "I thought you were practically begging for ship assignment not but a few weeks ago?"

Shepard scowls at Lin's laughing, before answering, "Yeah, sure. That was before I met you. It's too soon for our R&R to be over. I don't want to leave you now." she looks to her file and groans a second time, "Especially not to a eight month assignment to the Dauntless as another engineer."

"Don't you like engineering?" Lin comments getting up to get dressed, "And besides, you won't be leaving me."

"I have more to offer the Alliance than just my engineering skills," Shepard remarks, getting up herself before she pauses, "Wait, what? Why would I not be leaving you?"

Lin comes over to Shepard, her pants and undershirt already on, "Because I'm being assigned there as well to the navs."she kisses Shepard softly once more, "And you will get your chance soon enough to show them what you are capable of, I'm sure of it."

"You're sure of a lot of things." Shepard comments, pulling on her own clothes and sitting at the foot of the bed to pull on her boots.

"Because I know you," Lin smiles softly, almost ruefully, "and there is a lot you have to offer, you'll be going far."

"You going prophetic on me Lin?" Shepard raises an eyebrow, grinning crookedly as she begins to pack her things into her seabag. "I'm just another grunt, that's all. Nothing special to me." She chuckles softly.

Lin shrugs, beginning to collect her things as well, "I haven't a prophetic bone in my body. But, you'll see. You're going all the way."

"Uh huh." Shepard scoffs, hitching her bag up onto her shoulder, "You go on keep believing that. C'mon, let's get heading back. Orders are cutting our vaca short. Gotta report in in the morning."

Shepard steps into the crew quarters of the Dauntless, exhausted after another long day in engineering. Dirty, tired, and fed up with the lieutenant in charge of engineering, she makes a direct route to the showers to wash off the grease, and exhaustion, if not her frustration. She can't understand why the lieutenant refuses to even be open to her suggestions for improving efficiency.

Slamming her fist into the shower wall she sighs and shakes her head, she knows why. He's a strict 'by the books' old salt. He doesn't believe in changing anything, and especially won't listen to a young lieutenant JG like her. He doesn't believe she knows heads nor tails of anything. Even being out of boot for a year and a half now, he still sees her as a young greenie.

She is so tired of it all, it's beginning to feel like she's fit to burst. Punching the wall a second time, she steps out of the showers and dresses.

Lin is waiting for her, leaning against the bulkhead, "What did that poor wall ever do to you?" She grins her own wicked grin.

Shepard isn't amused and her scowl deepens as she looks at Lin in the mirror, pulling her hair back, "I didn't think I'd get reprimanded for beating it instead of Lt. Anders."

"Ah," Lin pushes off the wall and wraps her arms around Shepard's shoulders from behind, "He got under your skin again?"

"Again?" Shepard turns around and holds Lin's hips, "That implies he had gotten out from under it in the first place. I swear that man is a boil on me that's slowly festering."

"That's attractive." Lin remarks dryly, kissing Shepard on the forehead she steps back, taking her hands, "It'll get better, just give it time."

"How much time?" Shepard is ashamed to hear herself almost whine. "We've been on this boat for six months and our assignment has been extended another four months. That's another six months I have to deal with him." She sighs, letting go of Lin's hands to walk back into quarters and sits on the edge of her rack, Lin across from her.

Lin takes Shepard's hand in hers, "Have you asked the captain if there is anything he can do for you? Or for a transfer to a different department?"

Shepard sighs, "No, I'll see if I can ask if he can talk with Lt. Anders. I really can make the ship better. Faster, more efficient, just all around better. I know I can, if he'd just listen to me."

Lin smiles, seeing some of Shepard's spark come back into her eyes, "Good, you do that tomorrow. For tonight however," She moves over to be sitting beside Shepard, "let's just be the two of us."

Shepard smiles, turning to kiss Lin softly, "That I can do." She wraps her arms around Lin as the two women lay down on her rack, content for the comfort of each other's arms.

The next morning sees Shepard standing nervously in the Captain's office in front of him seated at his desk, "Captain, sir, Lieutenant JG Shepard requesting permission to speak, sir."

Captain Saunders looks up from the stack of datapads on his desk to look her over critically, "I haven't seen you much. Where do you work Shepard?"

"Sir, engineering, sir." She responds, her back ramrod straight, her eyes focused on the wall behind him until she's given permission to speak.

He hums softly, "Right, I have heard of you." Shepard gulps, that can't be good, "Anders has spoken highly of you, says you show great potential."

"Sir?" Shepard meets his eyes in confusion. Anders has done nothing but harp on her constantly, dismiss her, judge her, and all around seemed to hate her.

The captain smiles, "At ease Shepard." as she relaxes her stance to rest standing, he looks her in the eye, "Let me guess. You came up here to ask me to speak to him on your behalf? I imagine something along the lines of wanting him to ease up on you, perhaps? Or maybe to listen to you?"

"Um…" Shepard has to swallow a hard lump that had lodged in her throat, suddenly this seems like a very bad idea, "Yes, sir."

The captain chuckles, "Youngin, I'll let you in on a secret, men like Anders are only ever hard cases on those they see as being truly great, or at least having that potential to do so. So, instead of coming to me, asking for leniency from him, might I suggest you work harder, and perhaps even express your grievances with the good lieutenant. I promise he won't bite." Saunders has a humorous glint in his eye that is reassuring to Shepard.

"Sir," she nods to him, "Yes, thank you sir."

"Was there anything else I might be able to help you with Shepard?" He crosses his arms on his desk as he scrutinizers her, she tries not to squirm, something about that piercing gaze has her nervous.

"Sir," She shakes her head, snapping a salute, "No, sir."

"Very well then," He waves his hand vaguely towards the door, "You may go. And remember Shepard," She pauses from having turned her about face and looks over her shoulder, "Hard cases are there for your benefit. Dismissed."

Shepard doesn't pause this time as she steps out of the office to stand on the upper deck of the CIC, looking down on the large galaxy map and the various navy personnel at their stations. She can just see Lin at her nav station across the CIC from her on the lower level, she looks busy. So Shepard makes her way back down to engineering, and prays that speaking with Anders will actually help. The captain's advice lingers in her mind, and she wonders on how to go about talking to Anders.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** Hello my lovelies! Sorry on the long delay, finally getting settled into the new place. Gonna get on the ball of getting you guys new chapters each week. I"ll do my best!

enjoy! And, as always, Read and Review please!

...

Praying this goes well, Shepard opens the door to engineering and steps in, looking for Anders.

Stepping around the console just before the catwalk to the core of the ship, she sees Anders standing at a console in front of the drive core, running diagnostics.

She comes to a stop behind him snapping to attention, "Sir, Lieutenant Anders."

He turns around and when he sees Shepard a scowl comes across his aged features, "Yes, Lieutenant JG Shepard? Can I help you?"

"Sir, permission to speak freely, sir." She deliberately looks past him at the console, fighting back nerves.

Anders raises an eyebrow, then nods, a curious look on his face, "Permission granted, Shepard."

Shepard takes a deep breath before looking him in the eye, "Sir, with all due respect, I am feeling conflicted on how it is you address and treat me, sir. Have I done something to piss you off that I don't know of? I have plenty of ideas to offer you that can improve the efficiency of engineering and the ship. If you would just let me try them." She pauses, unsure what to say next, fearing she may have already pissed him off.

Instead he chuckles, surprising Shepard, "Shepard, you have never served under a old salt like me, have you? Someone who can see potential in others."

Shepard shakes her head, "No sir. The captain mentioned something of the kind. That you are hardest on those with potential. Do I show that potential? Is that why you are so harsh?"

Anders outright laughs, "Girl, you show more than just potential. You are unbridled raw talent, and for that, I ride you harder than the rest, to see how much you can take before bursting at me." He laughs again, "It's been a good long while since I had anyone like you under me. Most pop after just a few weeks, maybe a month, before they request transfers to easier assignments. You child, you impress me with your resilience in keeping your tongue and doing scut work."

"Sir," Shepard looks to him, genuinely confused, "Why be so hard on me? What does that accomplish? Would it not be better to show me what you think and let me work?"

He chuckles again, "I don't want to work with a bunch of airheads who think they know it all. By being tough it weeds out those who aren't worth my time."

"So, am I worth your time?" Shepard hedges, before amending with "Sir?'

Anders outright guffaws with laughter, "You, youngin, you are very worth my time. Now come on, I've got a lot to teach you. And maybe, just maybe, this old salt can learn a thing or two from you."

Shepard grins in return, following Anders back towards the drive core, ready and happy to finally be on the track of learning.

…

Shepard ducks back into the mess, diving behind one of the tables, swearing as she does so when shots ring out, barely missing her head as she gets into cover.

"Son of a bitch." She growls, drawing her sidearm she glances over the upended table at the doors to see three mercs enter the mess hall and firing randomly at all the upended tables. Shepard gives thanks that the emergency lighting is dim, just deck lights and strobing overhead lights. It keeps them from seeing her clearly.

Taking deep breaths, not being the praying type, she begs silently that they don't continue shooting or search the room. Her pistol is only good if they get close, and if they're close enough for her pistol to do damage, she's a dead woman. Their rifles have much longer ranges and more power behind the shots.

If she wants to get out of this alive, she needs to be very careful, and very lucky. She wonders again on what had happened;

They came from nowhere, surprising the Dauntless. Their first shots took out the shields then the engines went. Her and Anders had been working near the drive core when the attack came, a relay nearby them exploded from overloading. Anders took the full force of the blast as he dove to cover her, she looks to the burns that stretch across her left arm, from forearm up to her shoulder and wonders again why he did what he did. He died within minutes of the blast, ordering her to get to the communications room, to get out a SOS signal to the Alliance.

The invaders had boarded the ship not moments later, forcing her to have to take cover here in the mess, listening as hard as she can to what they are saying at the doors.

"Look, boss lady says clear the ship. That's what we're doing, let's go." One of them has a gruff voice.

"There's someone in here." This one has a whine to his voice.

"Keep searching if you want." Another with a more commanding voice, "We don't need three people to search one small mess hall. Let's go, leave him to clear the room. We've got a lot of ship left to cover."

Shepard doesn't dare breath her sigh of relief as she hears the doors shut and sees a flashlight come on, sweeping the room. The owner of the light comes into view facing away from her, searching along the edges of the room, sweeping his light back and forth along the floor.

Getting to her hands and knees Shepard crawls as carefully and quietly as she can. Slowly going from one table to the next, behind the upturned ones and under those still standing. Making her way closer to the merc, she gets around behind him and stands. Quickly she covers the few steps to him and puts her pistol to the back of his head, firing point blank into his skull.

He drops, dead in an instant, his face blown out. Grabbing his rifle, she dares not to think on how she feels unjust at shooting him in the back, she makes her way to the service hatch along the back of the mess hall, set into the deck.

She opens the hatch and drops into the cramped tunnel underneath. Crawling on her belly she makes her way under the decks as fast as she can, aiming for the hatch that she knows will lead to up into medbay not far from the mess hall.

She pushes the hatch open just a crack, glad to not see anyone in the bay. Opening the hatch the rest of the way, she climbs out and hisses in pain, her hasty bandage in engineering has snagged coming out of the tunnel and ripped off, taking some of the burned skin with it.

She cringes when she sees the burn full on for the first time. Her arm is burned nearly black across her forearm, her elbow and upper arm haven't fared any better, if anything, they're worse off.

She knows it hasn't, not because of how nasty it looks, but because she can barely feel a thing from her elbow to her shoulder. Her skin has burned so bad the edges are peeling and flaking off.

Grimacing and swallowing back her terror she liberally spreads medgel across her entire arm, wrist to shoulder, and grabs a roll of gauze wrap. Tightly wrapping her arm up she hefts the rifle again, glad she will only need her left to stabilize and not hold the brunt of the gun's weight. She doubts her arm could at this point.

She makes her way to the door out into the hall. From where she is, she knows she has to get across the ship without anyone the wiser, or at least, without getting killed.

"Right," She sighs, "Piece of cake…"


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** Hello all! So sorry on the delay, been crazy busy here. Being among family again makes for less free time to write. Got a fun chapter for you here.

Enjoy! Read and Review please!

...

Pressing the door release she looks up and down the corridor, glad to see no one in either direction. Stepping out, she makes her way down the hall towards the crew quarters, she knows she can cut through there to, hopefully, avoid anymore of the mercs.

Hearing voices coming from around the corner, she ducks into the research labs and hides behind the bulkhead, praying they walk right past her, with there being no door, she has zero cover.

The voices are from two of the mercs, a man and a woman, they are discussing and bragging about how easy it was to take the ship, and they wonder what their 'Boss lady' will be thinking of doing with it and the remaining crew.

Shepard bites her cheek, worried about how many of the crew have been killed. Is Lin still alive? Where is she? Surely they've locked the surviving crew up somewhere, the question is, where? She shakes her head, she can't be focusing on that, Shepard reminds herself. It's her job, especially if the rest of the crew is captured or killed, to get the SOS signal out.

As the voices pass and become indistinct, Shepard turns around the doorway and sees their backs as they walk away. She gives a soft sigh of relief as they leave her view, entering the lift around the corner.

Going the opposite direction she makes her way into the crew quarters and bites her lip to stop her gasping out as she enters. Four of the crew are shot dead, sprawled across the deck. They must have been caught unaware and murdered when they attempted to run. Her shock turns to anger as she takes in the sight. She knows all four by name, the two women played cards with her and Lin, the men were Nav helmsmen, they liked to make jokes of everything.

Biting her lip in a much different manner, to hold back her anger, she has to fight the rage inside her that wants to kill all these intruders who would kill unarmed sailors who turned to run. She had been a merc before, had done some things herself that weren't in the most moral line of work. But she never killed anyone unarmed as they ran. That takes a low level of cruelty to do something so cold.

Taking her eyes off her fallen crewmates she looks around the quarters, hoping someone brought their armor up here for cleaning. Her search is to no avail, her luck wasn't out on this endeavor, she'll just have to do her best to not get shot.

She steps around her crewmates' bodies carefully, lamenting not being able to do anything for them. Going through the large crew quarters she makes her way to the far side where she knows it lets out into the passageway that connects with a secondary lift up to the CIC deck. That's where she'll find the communications room.

Not wasting time, she quickly and carefully navigates the passageway around the deck to where the lift is. She has to hope that the mercs don't know about this lift, and won't have anyone guarding the exit of it, it being a tucked away access lift. It's not used regularly but by her and a couple others who use it as a shortcut to the CIC, rather than having to wait on one of the main lifts.

The lift comes at her call, its doors open with a soft chime, stepping inside she presses the controls for the CIC deck and whispers prayers to her Trickster to bring her some luck, she's gonna need it.

A few moments later the lift comes to a halt, the doors swing open with their quiet beep. Stepping out she hefts the rifle and looks around the corner into the tight passageway that runs beside the lift. Seeing it clear, she breathes a sigh of relief. Turning right, she navigates the corridor, one of the many access corridors that run throughout the entire ship, this particular one goes between the lower level of the CIC and the Coms suite. She reaches the doors at the end of the corridor, they are locked and sealed. They aren't sealed this way on a normal day, but this has been a far from normal day, she hopes this is a sign that someone got the chance to initiate partial lockdown before the CIC and ship were overrun.

She kneels down in front of the doors to bring the lock level with her eyes, drawing up her omnitool, she begins the hack necessary to access the Coms room beyond. It takes her a few minutes to do so without setting off an alarm, whoever designed this system was very careful, which means she has to be twice as careful to not trip the system's alert.

The doors open quietly on a darkened set of rooms beyond. She breathes a soft sigh of relief, no mercs got in here. That means she just needs to find a functioning console and get out the signal, and beat feet far from here when the mercs realize there's someone in here.

Drawing her flashlight out of her side pocket she quickly scans the consoles, looking for one that will give her a secure access. She has to get out this distress signal as securely as possible to give them their best chance at a rescue.

Once she finds a terminal she leans over it, quickly bringing up the controls and formatting her message; outlining the situation and requesting back up ASAP. She begins to encrypt the message as heavily as she can, looking through the channels she finds and brings up the most secure one she can. Tagging the message as urgent and SOS she sends it out, sighing in relief at getting this far, she turns away from the console and makes her way across the Coms suite to the far side and kneeling by the sealed door here to unlock it as well.

She's not sure how, but she has to find where the crew is being held and how to release them to take back their ship.

"Easy as lying." She whispers to herself as the doors open to the main passageway that leads to the CIC one way and to the bridge the other. CIC is her destination. If she can find one of the mercs and question them she may be able to find the crew. "Easy as lying…"


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** Hello guys, got a new chapter for you! been a good week for writing. Got some action for you.

Hope you guys enjoy! As always, R&R please!

...

Shepard steps across the corridor, keeping to the edges where the emergency lighting is dimmest, she quickly and carefully makes her way towards the CIC. Hearing voices coming her direction, she swears softly, seeing nowhere to duck into to hide. She settles for hiding behind a small alcove along the bulkhead. Drawing out her boot knife she waits and listens to the voices as they get closer. They are discussing their 'Boss Lady' and how they expect big payouts from this haul.

Shepard waits for them to get close to her, as they come level and pass her, she jumps out as fast as she can. She wraps her arm around the throat of the nearest, slicing his neck quickly before turning to the other, letting the first drop to the ground.

She quickly spins around, coming in close to the second and drives her knife towards his stomach. He dodges out of the way, coming up behind her he punches her sharply in the kidney. Gasping she twists around, kicking out and catching him solidly in the stomach. As he doubles over she lunges in and tackles him to the deck.

Kneeling over him, she presses her knife to his throat, "Tell me where the crew is and I might let you live." her voice is dead of emotion, causing the merc under her to gulp.

"I'll make a bargain with you. You let me live, and I'll tell you whatever you want to know."

Shepard smirks, "You're hardly in a position to bargain." She puts more pressure on his throat, "Tell me."

He gasps from the increased pressure and fear, "Alright, alright. The crew, they are being held in the science labs. Boss Lady wants them for hostages should the Alliance come."

Shepard smiles a humorless smile, "See was that so hard?"

"Let me go," Hie practically begs her, "I won't alert the others. Please, you promised."

"One more thing," Shepard eases her pressure slightly, still keeping the knife tight to his throat, "Your 'Boss Lady', who is she?"

"I don't know her name," He pleads, "No one does. She's some asari merc,came out of nowhere, she took over our crew. Promised us riches if we followed her."

Shepard scowls, "Where do I find her? What does she want with this ship?"

"She's on the bridge, I don't know what her plans are. Please, that's all I know."

Sighing Shepard takes her knife away from his throat, at his relieved sigh, she reverses her grip and hits him hard across the temple with the hilt of the knife, knocking him out.

"You're lucky I didn't kill you." She mutters as she looks around, there's no good place to stow these two.

Looping her hands under the dead merc's shoulders, she drags him into the small alcove she hid behind. Dragging the second over there as well, she relieves them both of the pistols they are carrying. She pockets them and stands, looking down the corridor, torn between finding the crew or going after their leader. If she can get to this Boss Lady, she may be able to force her to surrender.

Shaking her head, Shepard sighs, no, rescuing the crew has to be her first priority. The science labs are on this deck thankfully, she turns and heads down the corridor away from the coms room.

Careful of any more mercs she makes her way quickly and quietly to the science labs. Coming up on the intersection of two corridors with the science labs, she carefully looks around the corner to see there are two guards set up outside.

Both are carrying rifles and look bored. She smirks, not surprising, guard duty sucks, she's been there. This is to her advantage, she can draw one off, kill him then take out the second.

"Easy peasy." She murmurs. Stepping back she whistles a short tune, smiling when she hears one of the guards tell the other to go investigate.

She presses herself against the bulkhead, as the merc rounds the corner, she grabs him, covering his mouth as she slits his throat, softly laying him down against the bulkhead of the corridor.

She pockets his pistol as well and looks back around the corner, the second guard is facing the other way, she ducks low and sprints across the corridor, easily coming up and snapping his neck. She lowers him to the deck and turns to look at the lock of the door into the labs.

The lock is the basic lock sequence of the ship, she's glad no one thought to make a more secure lock on the labs. She quickly hacks the lock with ease and opens the door.

Inside she sees there are roughly twenty crewmembers seated in the far side of the room.

A guard by the door turns, looking at her surprised, "Who the hell are you?"

Shepard smirks and steps close, pressing her pistol to his chest she shoots him point blank in the heart. As she lowers his body to the deck, the crew comes forward. Looking at them, Shepard scans the faces looking for Lin.

She sees the XO step forward, "Sir, Commander Reynolds, sir." She snaps a smart salute to him.

"At ease Shepard," The XO, Reynolds, a short dark haired man with piercing green eyes looks at her astonished, "How did you escape capture? What's going on? Where have you been?"

Shepard sighs softly, "Sir, I was in engineering when the attack came. Andrews, he, he gave his life to protect me. A relay exploded, I couldn't, I tried to save him, I couldn't do anything."

One of the medbay medics steps forward and takes her wrist gently, "Did this happen from the relay?"

Shepard nods, looking to her arm, blood has seeped through parts of the bandage, mottling it red, "Yeah, um, yessir." Now that she has found the crew, her adrenaline fueled resilience is fading, shock beginning to set in.

Shaking her head to try and clear it she looks to the XO, "I made it to coms, I sent out an encrypted SOS. Someone in the Alliance surely has picked it up by now."

Reynolds rests his hand on her right elbow, guiding her to sit on a nearby crate, "Easy does it. You've done great, you need to rest, we can take it from here."

Shepard hands over the pistols she confiscated, "With all due respect, sir," She looks him in the eyes, "I can still be of use, my tech skills could help us take back our ship. I am one of the best marines you have here."

Reynolds smiles at her ruefully, "You've done your part, you got the signal out, you got to us. You are in shock, you need to rest and let the medics take care of you now."

"But sir-" Shepard starts to argue, standing up her head swims and she has to sit back down quickly or fall down.

"That's an order Lieutenant JG." He says not unkindly. He pats her shoulder, "You've done your part admirably, now, let us do ours."

Shepard looks to the deck, dejected but knowing he's right, "Yessir."

The medic puts his hand on her shoulder, beginning to pull off her hasty bandage as gently as he can, "How are you still standing?" He asks her incredulously, he looks over her arm, "This much damage should have had you in shock, if not unconscious much sooner."

"She's one stubborn bitch is how, sir." Shepard snaps her eyes up, looking at Lin with a sense of massive relief. Lin reaches out to hold her chin and stroke her cheek, "Do as they say darlin', you'll be alright."

Shepard abruptly stands, uncaring of the feeling of the deck shifting under her feet, to pull Lin into a long, deep kiss. Holding her close with her good arm, her left hanging at her side.

"Damn, am I ever glad to see you love." She whispers to Lin, burying her face in Lin's shoulder, fighting not to cry.

Lin guides Shepard to sit back down again, gently pulling out of the embrace, "I love you too. Now, let them take care of you. I'll be back for you."

"Wait," Shepard calls out as Lin steps away, "Where are you going?"

"It's my ship too, hero." She winks to Shepard, "I'm gonna help take it back." With that she turns and leaves the labs, hefting the rifle Shepard had taken.

As the medic begins to re-wrap her arm with fresh gauze from a first aid kit, she looks to him, her vision hazy and shifting as pain begins to register, "Don't mind me, but I think I might just pass out…"

A second medic helps the first catch her as her eyes roll up and she collapses against the bulkhead.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:** Hello! I'm sorry for my long absence! I have been dealing with the world's worst migraine constantly for the past month. Am just now getting able enough to see and type on my comp. So, we are getting better, and with starting work again, I'll do my best to write every night and bring you something new at lease once a week.

Got a short chapter today, it's closing off the early early years and setting us up for Shep's N7 training to come!

Enjoy! As always, Read and Review!

...

Shepard stands at attention on Arcturus Station. Confused and yet still in a fog of recovery from her burns, she stares out into the crowd of media and Alliance personnel gathered to witness this ceremony.

She fights hard to not rub at her tingling arm in its sling. The feeling of skin and nerve grafts is a very disconcerting one. But focusing on her injury keeps her from being completely nervous at standing on the dais with the surviving crew of the Dauntless, listening to the formal speeches about awards and commendations for their bravery and valiant effort at recovering their ship from the mercs that had boarded them.

Listening to the formality of the awarding officer at the podium as he address the crowds is making her feel even more awkward, and feeling disdain for him. He doesn't look like he's served a day in combat of his entire life. He probably has some cushy assignment in the Alliance, a nice office, maybe with a view out of the station,or maybe he's stationed on Earth and comes to the station for awards ceremonies.

She is startled out of her thoughts by a elbow to her side, flinching slightly she looks to her right and scowls at Lin, the owner of the offending elbow. "What do you want?" she hisses at her softly, trying to not be obvious or loud.

Lin smiles and nudges her head to get Shepard's attention on the podium speaker as he calls Lin's name.

Shepard gulps as she watches Lin walk to the dais to accept her medals and the officer's commendations. She knows she's next and, glancing to her side, she realizes she's the only one left on the dais. The crew having been called by alphabetical order, has left her at the very end. Part of her wonders if they intended this before she has to snap her attention back as the officer calls her name, waving his hand to signal her forward.

She takes a hesitant step forward, then another. Her back ramrod straight as she approaches the podium.

The officer extends his hand for her to shake. Snapping a sharp salute, Shepard grips his hand in a brief handshake, not missing the flash of holo-cameras as they go off all around her. "Lieutenant JG Shepard, congratulations on your heroic actions that led to the recovering of the Dauntless by it's crew. Surely without your quick thinking, decisive actions, and despite your injury, you managed to get out the emergency signal, find and release the surviving crew of the Dauntless. Allowing them to retake control of the ship and assist in the deaths and capture of many of a group of independent mercenaries. Without your actions the Dauntless may have well been lost, and all hands aboard killed."

He pauses for a moment to reach beside him, pulling a velvet box from the dais and opening it for her to see; Inside there is a Purple Heart and a Meritorious Service Silver Star medals resting on a blue velvet cushion.

"For your outstanding service in the Systems Alliance Navy during combat, I hereby award you with the Alliance Purple Heart for courage through injury in service to the Systems Alliance." He pulls out the Purple Heart medal, leaving the breast stripes in the box.

Shepard snaps to a sharp salute as he pins the medal to her, stepping back he retrieves the second medal, "The Service Silver Star is in recognition of your heroism in going above and beyond the call of duty in your efforts to regain control of your vessel during an enemy raid." He steps forward again, pinning the bigger medal to her and leaving those stripes in the box as well. He closes the box and hands it to her, "Congratulations Lieutenant JG, may this be but the beginning of a long and distinguished service from you." He shakes Shepard's hand and steps back to the podium. Shepard turns to the crowd, salutes, then steps off the dais to rejoin her crew along the side of the dais.

"I told you," Lin teases Shepard as she comes near, "I told you, you're going far."

"Two medals, hardly anything to bristle over." Shepard scoffs, truly she just wants to be another grunt in a uniform, awards and ceremonies aren't her thing.

"One of those medals is a very distinguished one." Lin comments before looking behind Shepard, "We have company. You know any short blondes with crazy green eyes?"

"Crazy eyes?" Shepard turns and sees Deunan walking up to the both of them, "What're you doing here?" She exclaims, taking Deunan into a fierce hug.

"Came by to see my girl get her fist combat commendations is what." Deunan chuckles as she pulls out of the embrace. She looks to Lin and extends her hand, "And who might you be?"

Lin laughs as she takes Deunan's hand, "I'm Lin. And you are?"

Shepard smiles at seeing her two friends introduce each other, "That's Deunan, Deunan Knute. Her and I go way back."

Lin raises an eyebrow at Shepard in question, "Way back, huh?"

Shepard scratches the back of her neck nervously, "She and I, we knew each other before I became a marine. We went through boot together. Deunan," Shepard raises an eyebrow of her own at Deunan, "This is _Lin_." she emphasizes her name, hoping Deunan will catch on who Lin is to Shepard.

Deunan's eyebrows go up in surprise, "Oh! Lin! Yes, I know who you are." she winks and whispers to Shepard, "Nice find Kels, this gal's a keeper." She yelps as Shepard gives her a soft punch to the shoulder.

Lin laughs a second time at the exchange between the two women. She could almost assume they were sisters the way they banter with each other, "Ah, see now, I have heard nothing of you, but you've heard of me?"

"Yes, well…" Shepard stutters, trying to figure out what to say. "You see…:

Deunan laughs her dog's bark laughter and claps Shepard on the back, "What our girl here is trying to say is that; her and I were a thing for a bit there before she joined the Alliance. I had to follow her in to keep her scrawny butt out of the fire."

Lin smiles at Shepard's obvious discomfort with the present topic of conversation, "Good thing I was stationed on the Dauntless with her, kept her mostly out of trouble for you."

Deunan gives a extravagant mock bow to Lin, "My most gracious thanks, good miss."

Shepard groans and hides her face in her hands, muttering, "This soo cannot be happening…"

Both Deunan and Lin break out in laughs, Deunan hooks her arm around Shepard's elbow, Lin taking the other, "Let's go find us some good booze and you can regale me with the tale of your heroics." The two women steer Shepard from the room.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:** Hello my lovelies! Look, I'm getting a ne chapter up for ya, and a day early at that! New post of my job is allowing lots of time to write.

Got a fun chapter for you of fun, laghs, and shmexy times!

Enjoy! As always, Read and Review please!

...

Shepard groans, not for the first time this evening, as Deunan is regaling Lin some of her more embarrassing merc moments spent when Shepard and her were together.

Shepard at first didn't want Lin to know about her time as a merc, but Deunan convinced her that; if she wanted a relationship with Lin she had better tell her the truth.

Shepard obliged, and told Lin about the attack on Mindoir, and why she went to be a merc for two years.

"I think you've sufficiently humiliated me now." she interjects Deunan as she was about to tell yet another drunken times story to Lin.

"It's alright Kelly," Lin draws Shepard close and gently kisses her, "I still love you all the same. Your past doesn't bother me, or scare me away. I love you, who you are, who you've become, not who you were."

Shepard blushes a deep crimson, "You scare me sometimes Lin. With how serious you can sound, it's like you're some prophet or something." Shepard leans forward from sitting on her rack to grab her glass of whiskey in her right hand, wincing as the sling tugs at the newly grafted skin on her left arm. She takes a healthy drink from the glass, holding it in her hand as she looks to Deunan and back to Lin.

Lin reaches up and lightly strokes Shepard's right cheek, "Here we are chatting up a storm when you should be resting, it's gotten later than I realized."

Shepard leans forward, kissing Lin slowly, softly, wanting her to stay, "I'll be alright."" She says as she pulls back, "Stay with me, both of you. Let's keep the fun going." She knocks back the rest of her glass of whiskey, a considerable amount, and reaches for the bottle on the table between her and Deunan.

Deunan chuckles and grabs the bottle from Shepard's reach, "Nuh uh missy. Those grafts won't hold if you keep drinking, and not resting."

Shepard scowls at her friend, "Party pooper." She grumbles, turning she looks to Lin, "You'll stay with me, right?"

Lin kisses Shepard softly, "Afraid not. You need your rest, and I know you," Lin chuckles as she stands up, Shepard loops her good arm around Lin's waist holding her against her, Lin gently extracts herself, "You won't sleep if I stay here. And Deunan will need someone to walk her home."

Shepard sighs but lays back across her rack, "Fine," She grumbles, her voice going soft and slurred, "You two go have fun…" Turning onto her side she is out in moments.

Lin and Deunan grin at each other as they quietly leave Shepard's quarters on the station.

"Well," Deunan sighs with a smile, "I appreciate your offer of walking my back to my quarters, but I'm good, honest. You can go back in there with her, now that she's out."

Lin smiles, "Truth be told, I want to know more about you. We've spent the evening exchanging stories of Kelly, but I know little about you."

Deunan sighs a different one this time, "Trust me, there's little to know that I'm willing to tell. There are things I've done that I still wake every morning wondering at how I made it another day. The less you know of me, the better." Deunan gives Lin a tight hug, "You watch out for Kels, she needs someone like you more than she'll admit." The way she says it, and the look in her eyes as Lin steps back from the embrace, makes Lin feel nervous at how serious Deunan is. This is a very different person than the laughing, teasing jokester from just moments before.

"I'll take care of her. I need her as much as she needs me."

"I'm sure you feel that way. But, when it comes to Kels; she can make a clam look loose tongued. There's more to her than you know, and she'll need you to help her with that than she'll ever say." Deunan gives Lin a rue smile and turns away, casually strolling down the corridor, running her hand through her short messy blonde hair.

Lin watches her go and marvels at how much loyalty Deunan shows for Shepard, if she didn't know any better she would swear they're sisters.

She sighs as she goes back into Shepard's quarters, someday she will figure out the puzzle that is Deunan Knute.

She quietly steps back into Shepard's quarters, smiling when she sees Shepard has rolled onto her back, and her legs are half hanging off the rack.

Lin steps up to stand beside the bed, she gently lifts Shepard's legs back into bed and sits down on the edge of the rack. She lightly strokes stray locks of Shepard's red hair off her face, leaning over she places a soft kiss on her lips, stroking her cheek lightly.

Shepard hums softly, blinking her eyes open as Lin draws back, "I knew you couldn't stay away."

Lin smirks at Shepard, "Shut up and kiss me."

Shepard grins her crooked grin, "That I can do." She draws Lin down close to her, kissing her slow and deeply, her hand holding Lin's jaw and cheek.

Lin returns her kiss passionately, drawing back she climbs onto the rack with Shepard, leaning over her she captures Shepard's lips in another deep passionate kiss.

Shepard nips Lin's lip, her right hand caressing down Lin's back, pressing her close, "You are entirely too overdressed for this part of the party." Shepard chuckles as she attempts to tug Lin's top off one handed.

"And you should be resting." Despite her words, Lin sits up, drawing off her tank and bra, discarding them to the floor.

Shepard's crooked grin turns predatory, her voice going deep, "And, you started this one, not me." Shepard pulls Lin back close to her, kissing her deeper, running her hand up and down Lin's sde, brushing against her breast then caressing down her hip.

Lin sighs softly, she grins at Shepard in return, drawing back she gently removes the sling from Shepard and leans forward, taking Shepard's shirt hem in her hands. She slowly pushes it up, kissing the smooth muscled plane of Shepard's abdomen, eliciting soft groans from her love as she works her way up above Shepard's navel, and stomach.

She smiles as she feels Shepard squirm under her, she pauses her kisses right above Shepard's breast, "I could always stop, you know. Cause, you really should be resting."

"Oh hell no." Shepard growls, she takes Lin's hips in her hands, flipping the smaller woman over onto the rack, putting Shepard on top, "This is my game now." She kisses Lin deeply, as the other woman strokes her hair back, Shepard takes Lin's hands in her good hand, pressing them over their heads against the rack.

Sufficiently pinned, it'ls Lin's turn to squirm, she sneers at Shepard, "No fair, turning the game against me." Despite her position, she wraps her legs around Shepard's hips, pressing the taller woman against her, moving her hips in a rhythm against Shepard. She is rewarded for her efforts as Shepard groans deep in her chest, her eyes fluttering at this sensation.

Shepard leans forward, kissing Lin deeply, hungrily as she grinds her hips against Lin's.

The two women continue to move in a pattern that brings each other to their craved ecstasy.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:** Hello my wonderful readers! Sorry on the delay, writer's block clamped tight on me, I'm past it now, and will make every effort to update you guys better.

Got a shorter chapter today, it refused to expand any bigger. Some charie/plot development for ya.

Enjoy! As always, read and review please!

...

The following morning Shepard wakes with Lin in her arms, still sleeping. Shepard runs her fingers along Lin's cheek and jawline. When her love rolls over onto her side in her sleep, Shepard carefully extracts her arm from under Lin and slides out of the rack.

Stretching she hears the tell tale beeping of her omnitool's incoming message alert. Swearing under her breath she scrambles through their discarded clothes from last night scattered across the deck.

Finding her tool, she scoops it up, and silences it as she yanks on a pair of pants and slips her hoodie on, forgoing underwear when she sees the message flagged as priority.

She quietly steps out of her quarters and into the corridor outside to open her message.

"And here I was thinking you'd need a wake up call from me."

Shepard turns at the sound of Deunan's voice and smirks at her friend, "Brass beat you to it." she looks to her message and looks back to Deunan, "Barely healed up and they are reassigning again."

"Don't feel bad. You aren't the only one." Deunan waves her omnitool lit up, "I got new orders too. Where they sending you this time?"

"Looks like the Spartivento Frigate. I'm finally getting assigned to a marine contingent!" Shepard practically bounces with glee.

Deunan frowns momentarily, looking down at her omnitool, "That's where they've got me going too." She looks up and grins her wolf's grin, "Looks like we get to be bunk buddies again."

"I do believe that is my place." Lin leans against the bulkhead of the doorway, her omnitool alight on her arm. She's wearing some of Shepard's clothes, a hoodie with the sleeves pulled up, and a pair of running pants, her feet are bare. The clothes hang loosely off the thinner woman's frame as she leans in the doorway.

Shepard does a double take, looking between Deunan and Lin, "Wait? What?"

"Yeah," Deunan cocks her hip out and her head to the side, "What she said." She looks to Shepard then to Lin.

Lin smiles her own sly grin, "They've assigned me to that ship too."

"With the marines too?" Deunan raises an eyebrow.

Lin chuckles and nods, "Yes. So you see…" She takes Shepard's hand, tugging the redhead up against her, "She's my bunk buddy."

Shepard kisses Lin softly, turning to face Deunan as Lin snakes her hands around her waist, "Sorreh D." She makes a false pouting face at Deunan, who roars with laughter,

"Yeah huh." Deunan grins wide, her eyes glinting mischief, "That just means there's more for me."

"More what?" It's Shepard's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"That's for me to know-" Deunan starts to say before Shepard interrupts,

"And me to find out." Shepard finishes for her, laughing, "Why do I suddenly feel the need to be as little connected to you as possible?"

…

A few days later sees the three women, sea bags over their shoulders, walking down the docking ring of Arcturus Station.

Looking out the viewport Shepard gives a soft whistle; The ship out the viewport on the nearest dock is a frigate. Smooth and sleek, the Alliance insignia brightly emblazoned across the hull.

Her very first marine assignment, she feels awfully proud of it. It's about damn time they see what she has to offer in combat.

They make their way down the docking arm to the airlock, the station side airlock door is open, the ship's door shut tight. Stepping inside the airlock, Lin hits the controls to seal the airlock for entrance to the ship.

As the door hisses and slides open, they quick step up to the Quarterdeck Watch post, setting their bags down in the airlock.

Snapping a salute to the Alliance flag, Shepard then right faces saluting the watch and barks out, "Lieutenant Shepard, reporting for duty, and requesting permission to board, sir!" It feels odd to not have the JG on the end of her rank, but the new promotion came with the new assignment. She is loving not being a Junior officer anymore.

The watch ensign, a young kid looking like he's fresh out of boot, salutes Shepard, "Permission granted ma'am. Orders are for all new personnel go to the crew deck for stowing of gear, then report to the cargo bay for orders and assignments."

Shepard nods, standing at ease she picks up her sea bag again and steps to the side, letting Deunan then Lin report to the watch.

Once the formalities are done, Deunan steps into the lead, "I'll show ya where to go."

"Not your first frigate assignment Deunan?" Shepard raises an eyebrow, "You been holding out on me!"

Deunan shrugs her shoulders, raising an eyebrow, "Girl's gotta have her secrets, don't she?"

As they board a lift and take it to the crew deck, Shepard turns to Deunan, "Uh-huh, sure...How come you never told me you had a frigate station before?"

"I didn't want to make you upset, cause I know how badly you wanted this." Deunan's grin turns sly, "Plus, seemed you'd found your own company for a while." She gives Lin a wink and nudge, making her crack a smile as they reach the crew quarters.

Shepard just shakes her head, going into the quarters to stow her gear, "That explains why you were out of contact for so long. What'd you do? Have shakedown runs?"

"Maybe one or two…" Deunan trails off as she sets her sea bag down on top of one of the racks.

Lin follows suite, smirking at Deunan, "Aren't you the ever considerate friend."

Deunan shrugs, watching Shepard chooses the rack by each Lin's, "Meh, I try my best."

"C'mon." Shepard hooks an arm around Lin, pulling her close, kissing the side of her neck, "We should be getting down to the cargo hold." She steps away from Lin, leading them out of the quarters.

"Tease." Lin comments to her as she follows Shepard out.

Shepard just grins her crooked grin, shrugging her shoulders, "Marine." She laughs at Lin's eye roll.

Deunan brings up the rear laughing as well as the women make their way to the lift and down to the cargo bay.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:** Hello all! Sorry on the delay, writers block and getting busy delayed my writing. Got a little filler chapter for ya guys today, just some building up plot and chaire introduction.

Enjoy!As always, Read and Review please!

...

Sitting around the table that same night, the three women have made some new friends amongst the crew and fellow marines, cards are being played, and cred chips are scattered across the table.

"Booyah," Shepard crows with laughter, scooping up the pile of chips amidst a chorus of groans and complaints. "That's how it's done folks."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd swear you're cheating."" Deunan groans as she hands her cards over to Lin who shuffles all the cards, beginning to deal them out.

You accusing my girl of being a cheater?" Lin raises an eyebrow at Deunan, causing her to chuckle.

"If I didn't know better, yes. I would be." Deunan takes a look at her cards, putting them back on the table she sighs, "You can have these back. Gimme a better hand."

"Not a chance. Play the hand you were dealt." Lin gives Deunan a smirk in response to Deunan's middle finger display.

"What about me?" one of their new friends, Maggie, is a fellow marine and she holds up her hand of cards, "New friends able to get new cards?"

"Afraid not."" Lin laughs, "Am I the only one that got good cards?"

"Oh trust me, love." Shepard grins her wolf's grin, "You ain't the only one."

"How do we know you aren't bluffing again Shepard?" a crewmember, Andy, asks her skeptically.

"Guess you'll have to play this hand and find out." Shepard's grin doesn't waiver.

"I'm not sure I trust Knute." Daniel, another marine says, "Nobody is as lucky as you've been."

"That's cause I'm good." Shepard smirks, passing in one card to Lin. As the rest pass in their cards and receive the new ones, Shepard bets most her chips.

Those at the table all groan, "Oh hell no." Deunan moans, "You are not getting all my chips this time, I'm folding."

"Same." Echo both Daniel and Andy as they lay their cards on the table as well.

"That leaves you two." Shepard grins looking between Lin and Maggie, "You guys gonna call my, supposed, bluff?"

"You know I will." Lin pushes in her cred chips to match Shepard's.

"Aw hell," Maggie swears, "What's life without a little risk?" She matches Shepard's bet as well, sliding her chips to the center of the table. "Show what you've got ladies."

Groans and laughs circulate the table as the women show their hands, Shepard laughs as the other two women's hands don't beat hers.

""Son of a-" Maggie swears loudly, smacking the table, "I give up. You win this game Shepard."

Lin just smiles as she scoops up the cards, shuffling them and putting the deck in her pocket.

The others at the table all collect their chips and say their good nights as they disperse to the crew quarters.

Deunan stretches and chuckles, "Greenies never learn, do they?"

Shepard smiles wryly as she stands and stretches as well, "What? To never suppose I'm a cheat?"

Lin smiles as she stands, hooking Shepard's elbow in her arm, "To never underestimate you sweets." She pulls Shepard's chin down to kiss her softly.

Shepard returns her kiss softly, "Well, that'll teach 'em, won't it?"

"Somehow I highly doubt it. Everyone always underestimates you Shep." Deunan cuffs Shepard's shoulder lightly.

"Then I will continue to use it to my advantage." Shepard dodges another cuff from Deunan "See if I ever give you any tips, you're abusive."

"Good thing we're not dating then." Deunan grins impishly, dancing away from a cuff from Shepard.

"You two are the most like a married couple that I've ever met." Lin laughs as both women turn and give the exact same wry grin. "You're practically twins."

"Well," Deunan grins impishly and takes an exaggerated bow, "This 'twin' is taking herself to bed. Gotta be fresh in the morning so I can show you up on our mission."

Shepard groans, rolling her eyes, "So ain't gonna happen. I'm the better fighter, and you know it."

Lin chuckles as Deunan turns and walks away, flipping her finger off at Shepard as she enters crew quarters.

"We should be headed that way as well, my love." Lin kisses Shepard softly. "We do need to be well rested for tomorrow."

"Yes, I know," Shepard returns Lin's kiss, holding her close, "I just want us to have time for us."

"We will." Lin kisses Shepard's cheek lightly, "After this shakedown mission we will be able to take some time for ourselves. I heard tell that after the mission is over, we'll be docking at the Citadel for a bit."

"That is exciting. Been awhile since I got to see the station." Shepard hums excitedly, taking Lin's hand as they make their way to crew quarters.

"Then you can show me around." Lin smiles softly, "I've never been to it.

"Really?" Shepard leads Lin over to their racks, taking a seat she pulls off her boots and over blouse, "Oh, I'll give you the grandest tour of all the best hole in the wall places." Shepard begins to talk excitedly, "There's so many good armory shops, techie shops, bars. You'll defo have to come with me to Murphy's Law, I gotta introduce you to Bane."

"Would you shut it?" Deunan hisses at Shepard over Lin's rack between them, "Some of us are actually trying to sleep."

Shepard sticks her tongue out at Deunan, "Don't let me stop ya."

As Deunan goes to speak, Lin shushes her "Both of you hush, you cn bicker to your hearts' content tomorrow." She gives both women a pointed glare, Deunan shrugs and lays back down, Shepard opens her mouth to argue before sighing and laying back.

"Good night love." she murmurs to Lin.

"Good night, my love." Lin whispers back to her as the two women face each other and fall asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note** : Hello my lovies. I have a new chapter for you! Sorry on the delay, I have issues with deadlines it seems...lols.

Anyways, got a fun Chapter for you guys, a bit longer than usual, but it didn't want to end. So you get a nice long chapter for your patience.

Enjoy! As always, read and _review_ please!

...

"Batarians," Shepard growls, ducking into cover from the onslaught of batarian mercs at the base for the mercs on the planet's surface, "Why is it always batarians?"

"Because fate knows how much you _love_ them." Deunan crows with mirth as she pops over cover to release a volley of strafing fire onto the mercs, forcing them to duck back inside their base or take cover behind low walls and vehicles.

"Fate and I need to have a talk…" Shepard grumbles, "Cover me." She tells her squad fanned out along the route that leads to the base.

"What hairbrained stunt are you planning now?" Deunan's tone is wary, but her eyes echo Shepard's, dancing with mischief.

"You know me and how much I love when things go boom." Shepard grins her wolf's grin nodding towards the large truck the mercs are using for cover; crates in the bed of the truck labeled 'hazardous: Combustible' are the source for her mischievous grin.

"Oh heaven have mercy on us…" Maggie swears, shaking her head at Shepard, "If you're determined to pull this off, you best go now." She kneels from cover to fire on the batarians, signalling the rest of the squad to lay down covering fire.

"No one better peg me in the ass…" Shepard groans as she ducks and runs as fast, and low, as she can. She scurries to a stop, ducking and rolling under the truck to grin looking up at the myriad of hoses, pipes, cords, and mechanics of the underbelly. It takes her only a moment to rewire a few of the necessary hose and pipes and wedge a well placed grenade.

Knowing she has only moments until the boom, she rolls out the far side of the truck and comes to a crouch, hurrying over to the nearest cover. Throwing herself behind it she comes face to face with a batarian merc.

"Howdy." She greets him,"Nice day we're having here." She grins and ducks as he swings his fist towards her face, coming up she twists around, sweeping his legs out from under him, dropping down on top of him she hooks her elbow around his throat to pin him down.

"Trust me, you'll want to stay down." she warns him, not a moment too soon as the blast goes off. The force of the shockwave is enough to send Shepard tumbling across the ground, her back complaining loudly with each hit to the ground. She barely keeps her head up and from cracking on the hard ground as she tumbles.

Coming to a rest on her back, she is looking into the face of a merc, and muzzle of his rifle, "Hi there." She carefully pushes herself to her knees, hands up, trying to figure a way out of this one. "How can I help ya?"

The merc she had tripped and pinned comes up to face her, his humorless grin has her stomach going into knots. He reverses his rifle and her world explodes in pain as the butt of the rifle cracks against her nose, blackness soon follows as she slumps forward.

…..

Coming to, the first thing Shepard notices is she's sitting up in a chair or something. Her head is hanging forward, her hair hiding her face. She can feel the blood clotted on her face from her broken nose. Attempting to move her hand to swipe her hair back, she discovers her hands are bound behind her back, tightly bound, she can barely even twitch her hand at the wrist.

"Looks like she's coming 'round." A rough deep man's voice permeates the ringing in Shepard's hearing.

"Wakey wakey, sweetie." A female voice mocks her, the woman lifts Shepard's chin as she blinks her eyes open.

As her vision slowly comes into focus, Shepard can see she is inside a brightly lit small square room. The woman holding her chin grips Shepard tighter, forcing her focus back to her.

"That's better." The woman smirks, she jerks Shepard's chin, letting go, "Now, we can get to business."

"Who the hell are you?" Shepard looks the woman over, she's wearing a Eclipse merc insignia on her armor. It confuses her, what's a human eclipse merc doing with batarians, "What's going on here?"

"You can call me Boss, and I'll be the ones asking the questions, sweetie." The woman's voice almost purrs. "What brought the Alliance to our doorstep? How many of you are there?"

"Go to hell." Shepard growls at her, "Look here, lady. I have no clue who you are, and I ain't ever calling you boss. Don't you have a name?"

"Alright then," Annoyance briefly crosses the woman's face before being replaced with smugness again, "Mel is my name. What's yours? If you insist on knowing mine, it's only polite I know yours too."

Shepard scowls, remaining silent. Like hell she is gonna give this woman, Mel, any kind of information.

Shepard hears the sound of a door sliding open, "Boss Lady," Another male voice comes from behind Shepard. The term he uses for Mel rings some recognition in Shepard. But through the fog of pain, and most like concussion, she can't place it.

"The others are pushing harder, they'll breach the base soon." Shepard wonders who these others' are. Her squad maybe? The man continues speaking, "The shuttle is ready for your departure."

Mel scowls and swears. Pushing herself up from kneeling to look level with Shepard, she orders the two men, "Evacuate all essential personnel and notify Luther in the change of plans. Tell him, we'll be bringing a plus one with us."

"Plus one, ma'am?" The second man asks from the doorway.

"Find room for our guest here." Mel leans over to look Shepard in the eyes, hers stern and merciless, "You're going for a ride, and you're going to tell your friends, over this wonderful coms we found on you, that they are not to pursue on penalty of your life." The woman holds out Shepard's omnitool and the wireless headset that has her com unit on it. They must have gotten them when they stripped her armor, Shepard can tell she's sitting in her undersuit uniform.

Shepard glares at the woman hard, but knows that if this woman is true to her word, this is the only chance she has at living to see Lin again.

"Have we a deal?" The woman purrs again, "Your life for their stand down."

Shepard hesitantly nods, scolwing as she looks at the woman, "Alright. But I can't guarantee that they won't follow."

"I'm sure they will listen to you." Mel smirks, "After all, even a lieutenant is high enough a rank to give an order."

Shepard sighs, "Fine." She growls between her teeth.

"Atta girl, sweetie." Mel holds Shepard's coms close enough that they'll pick up Shepard's voice.

Sighing and closing her eyes, Shepard speaks to the unit, her voice activates it, opening the coms line with her squad. Instantly they hear Deunan and Lin's voices coming across, ordering each other and the squad. They must not know she's gone. Or it'd be her name she'd be hearing across the coms..

Shepard clears her voice, she is careful to use her formal tone and military speaking, and not calling out Deunan and Lin specifically. So that Mel will not know their importance to her, or her to them, "This is the lieutenant, ordering the squad to stand down. I'm five by. Repeat, I am five by and ordering the entire squad to stand down and not to pursue the escaping mercenaries. On penalty of my life, do not pursue. I will be out of contact, Lieutenant out." The coms' line goes dead, Shepard looks up to Mel. "There, you should be in the clear now."

Shepard hopes they take her orders and don't come after her. She's not sure how she's getting out of this one. But she knows she doesn't want the others at risk.

"Very good." Mel snaps the coms headset in half and pockets Shepard's omnitool. She jerks her fingers, signalling the men, "Load her into the shuttle, I will follow shortly." Mel walks past Shepard, turning her head, Shepard sees her leave through the door directly behind her.

The second male voice is from another batarian merc, armored and uniformed like the one already in the room with her.

"Let's go you." The merc in the room grabs her forearm, yanking her up from the chair she was seated in.

Her wrists wrench against the bindings painfully, causing her to gasp out as the merc shoves her towards the door, into the hands of the second merc. He takes her wrists in his hand and pushes her down the corridor outside the room, the second falls in ahead of them, his hand ready on his holstered pistol.

They traverse the myriad of corridors ending in a shuttle bay; Where havoc reigns as mercs, both batarian and eclipse, scatterer about loading crates and supplies hurriedly into shuttles and taking off.

"Get in." The merc holding her shoves her towards one of the shuttles with its side door open.

"Hey!" She cries out at him as, unbalanced by her hands being bound, she trips into the shuttle, landing across its deck. "Easy does it, asshole."

"I'll go as easy as I want." He growls, smirking at her, "And if you don't like it, I can always be rougher." His smirks is that same predatory smirk she had seen many a time before. She knows what that smirk and those words mean.

Scowling as she pushes herself to her feet,"Am I to stand the whole trip? With my hands bound, I won't be standing long."

"Shut up and sit down," the other merc snaps at her as he steps into the shuttle, indicating one of the side seats. She carefully sits, perched on the edge of the seat, "Try anything funny and you're a dead girl."

Shepard's scowl deepens but she remains silent as the two batarians sit; one beside her, the other across. Mel boards the shuttle, closing the door and looking to Shepard, "Your squad had better heed your orders." She comments to Shepard as she takes a seat.

"They will." Shepard says sternly, internally praying that they do, as she feels the shuttle bump and shift as it takes off. Then the internal dampeners kick in. easing the shaking and shudders of the shuttle leaving atmo. Shepard has to think quick, and hard on how to get out of this mess.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:** Hello all! Back from vaca with a nice long chapter for ya, a bit of filler and some charie devolopment, mixed in with some plot progression. Should be a fun chapter for ya.

Enjoy! As always, Read and Review!

...

Shepard is forced out of her thinking of a way out of her abduction situation when the batarian beside her elbows her hard in the kidney.

"Wakey, wakey." Mel crows from across the shuttle, Shepard blinks her eyes open, "We'll be docking soon. And I would rather you be awake for this. My boss will be curious about you I'm sure."

Shepard scowls, "Your boss can go fuck himself."

Mel chuckles, the opposite effect that Shepard was aiming for, "I like you." She looks Shepard in the eyes, her bright blue eyes full of intrigue and curiosity, "You're pert, and to the point. I could use a gal like you."

"I have no intentions of being used by anybody." Shepard snaps at her, returning Mel's gaze with a glare.

"Oh, you'll work just perfect for what I have in mind." Mel remarks as Shepard feels the shuttle bump and land in what she assumes to be a cargo bay.

"You are sorely mistaken." Shepard growls, "I won't work for you. I'm an Alliance marine. Not some gun for hire. I'm done with that life."

"Oh, being an Alliance Marine is just what I'm needing." Mel smiles as she waves her hand, indicating Shepard to stand as one of the batarians opens the shuttle door.

The bright light of the cargo bay blinds Shepard momentarily as she steps to the doors of the shuttle, "I will not be helping you in any way, marine or merc." Suddenly she cries out as the merc still in the shuttle pushes her in her back hard, knocking her from the shuttle and sending her sprawling onto the deck, her hands still bound keep her from being able to catch herself.

"You'll do as you're told." The merc outside the shuttle growls at her, grabbing her upper arm and yanking her up.

Stumbling she gets her footing and wrenches her arm from his grasp, "I don't take orders from you. Ya nasty sleazeball."

The batarian backhands her hard across her face, it sends her reeling to the deck, spitting blood from a busted lip, "Call me that again and it'll be worse for you."

"Now, now boys," Mel looks down at Shepard kneeling on the deck, "We must be on our best behavior. No roughing up the guest."

"Did you hear what she called me?" Growls the first batarian.

"You don't even know what a sleazeball is." Mel chides him, "Cool it before I become cross."

The second merc from the shuttle grabs Shepard's arm, hauling her back to her feet. He grips her tight as he directs her to follow Mel across the bay, "Let's go. You try anything and a backhand will be the least of your pains."

His tone, and the look in his eyes when Shepard turns her head towards him, give her the chills. That predatory look is one she knows all too well.

"You lay a hand on me and you're one dead merc." Shepard gives her fiercest glare, trying not to show her fear.

"I'll do as I please," He murmurs in her ear, running his finger along her jawline, "Soon as the bosses are done with ya, you'll be mine to play with as I will." The batarian chuckles as he pushes her forward.

Shepard gulps and fights the chills that go down her spine. She falls in step behind Mel, closing her eyes briefly to try and clear her mind of the fear. She has no intention of being anybody's 'plaything'. Been there, done that, and got the scars to prove it.

She has to suppress the shakes that come unbidden to her body as those horrible memories clamor at the edge of her mind.

Mel leads their small group down a myriad of corridors and passageways. Thoroughly lost, Shepard just prays she can find a way to get a signal out to the Alliance to come get her. She doesn't think she'll be able to get off this station by herself.

Each turn and lift gets her horribly more lost. She doubts she could even make it back to the shuttle bay on her own. One thing she does know is that she _will_ get herself free and out of this situation. Part of her mind whispers to her ' _before it's too late'_.

After a few more twists and turns, Mel comes to a stop in front of a set of doors, she nods to the two mercs, "You can wait here. This will only take a minute."

The batarians nod and step aside, leaving Shepard to follow Mel into the room beyond the doors as they open.

Inside is a spartan room of an office. A single desk sits against the far wall, a human man in the seat looks up from a data pad in his hands. A look of intrigue crosses his face as he sees the two women.

Mel steps forward, looking back to Shepard and giving her a clear signal to follow. "Sir, I've brought you a present. Someone I know you've been looking for."

The man, whom Shepard guesses to be Mel's boss, leans forward on his elbows, scrutinizing Shepard, ""Step closer child." He addresses her.

Shepard stays standing at the doors, not stepping any closer. Had her hands not been tied, her arms would be crossed in agitation, "I'm no child, and I don't take orders from mercs."

Rather than being cross, the man chuckles, looking to Mel, "She certainly has sass, doesn't she?"

"I knew you'd like her, Luther." Mel chuckles lightly.

"What's your name, girl?" Luther looks Shepard over critically.

As she remains still and stoically silent, Mel grabs her arm, dragging her forward to the desk, "Now, now friend. This is no way to treat your host. Tell him your name." while phrased sweet and polite, Shepard knows Mel is eager to know her name, and irritated by her silence.

Shepard bites her lip, wincing as it splits open worse, she had forgotten the damage to it. She looks Luther hard in the eyes and growls, "It's Kels."

"Do you take me for a fool girl?" Luther chides her, "I know as well as you do that Kels, isn't your full name. Out with it child, or I will be forced to means I do not wish to exert, so early in our relationship."

Shepard growls under her breath and mutters out, "Shepard, Kelly Shepard."

"See? Now was that so hard?" Mel smirks slightly as recognition dawns in her eyes, "Shepard? You wouldn't happen to have been stationed on the Dauntless, now would you have been?"

Shepard gulps, blanching, suddenly it clicks to her; Boss Lady the batarians were calling Mel. Boss Lady she had heard before, on the Dauntless, the merc leader that invaded the ship. The mercs that Shepard herself had helped stop.

Mel grins, "Ah, what luck have I here?" she takes Shepard by her chin, forcing her to look directly into her eyes, "How exciting. Here I was thinking getting an alliance marine was a good catch and instead, I get the marine that foiled my attack on the Dauntless."

Shepard jerks out of her grip. "Screw you."

"She is the one that stopped us on that ship?" Luther raises an eyebrow, looking Shepard over again.

"She is clever as well as pert." Mel states, "She'll do well for our purposes."

"How many times do I have to tell you idiots I won't work for you?"

"I'll make this simple for you." Luther comments to her, "You'll do as we say, or there will be consequences of the like that are not fit to speak of in polite company. Especially for a girl, so nice, as you are. Now, do we have an agreement?"

Shepard glares hard at him, but grudgingly nods her head, biting her lip tight. She knows what he has in mind for her, it's the same thing those batarians had in mind, and she can tell this man does not throw around light threats.

"Glad we have come to an understanding." He sits back in his seat, folding his hands across the desk, "Follow all orders Mel here gives you, and you may come out of this alive." His words are a clear dismissal.

Shepard fixes him with her sternest glare, not letting up on it until Mel takes her arm, steering her from the room.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note:** Hello lovelies! Got a new chapter for ya! Been really inspired to write lately, so be sure to keep an eye out!

Enjoy! As always, Read and Review!

...

Out in the corridor again, Mel nods to one of the merc batarians still by the door. "Escort our guest here to her nice cozy cell. Stay on guard until I call for her."

"What?" Shepard raises her still bound hands. "Still don't trust me? Even after I've agreed to do what you want?" Shepard tilts her head, giving a faux curious expression. "Surely the least you can do is give a girl somewhere nice to stay?"

"I don't know how you managed to subvert our last encounter, but I suspect," Mel smirks at Shepard, her tone changing from light and merry to more serious. "Given your attitude, that cleverness on your part had something to do with it."

Shepard grins and shrugs, "I shan't tell secrets, nor lies."

Mel smirks at Shepard, "tis a shame. I would love to know how you managed it." She turns away, waving at the guards in dismissal. "We'll talk more Shepard, don't doubt that." She turns the corner and out of sight.

Shepard looks to the two mercs left with her. "Both of you needed for little me?"

"You're hardly little. And I know how quick you can be." The merc whom she had pinned, smirks as he grabs her upper arm and drags her down the hall. The speed he walks has her barely managing to keep up with him at a near double time jog.

The other batarian falls in step behind them as she is led through a myriad of corridors and lifts. They come to a rest finally at a set of doors that, once opened, Shepard can see is the brig for this station or ship. She isn't sure what this place is anymore, she just knows she has to find some way out.

The batarian gripping her arm steers her into the room, and leads her over to an empty cell. Shepard takes notice that the majority of the cells are empty. But those with occupants are sealed with electric fields across the opening to keep the prisoners in. The prisoners themselves, each is huddled in tight, dejected positions in their cells. None make eye contact with her.

She suddenly yelps as the merc holding her shoves her into the cell. Stumbling, she barely stays on her feet. Turning back she glares at the batarians. "Care to give a girl a warning next time?"

"An alliance bitch doesn't get a warning," he snarls at her.

"Aren't you the ever attractive one? Calling me a bitch seems a bit excessive." Even though her tone is light, her temper is up, no one gets away with calling her a bitch.

"I'll call you what I want, alliance _bitch_ , and you'll just have to deal with it," he growls at her.

"You'd better pray I never get my hands on you," Shepard snarls at him, stepping towards him. His swearing at her spikes her temper.

"You are a very cocky bitch at that." He shoves her back into the cell.

She swallows her temper, knowing it will not help this situation, and looks past him to the other. Raising her bound wrists in question, "Still don't trust me enough to take these off while I'm in here?"

He waves her forward, smirking at her, "Any alliance marine is someone to be cautious around." As she steps forward and raises her hands to waist level, the second merc blindsides her with a fierce punch to her face.

She falls to her knees, barely catching herself with her bound hands. Blood drips to the floor from her face. She can tell by the blood sliding down her throat that her nose has broken. Attempting to push herself to her feet, she is kicked hard in her stomach by one of them. The kick tumbles her to the deck, reeling in pain. Instinct takes over as she curls into a ball defensively. Just as another kick connects with her spine, sending shocking pain all the way up her back.

Hands grip her from behind, one under her arm. The other grips her hair in its horsetail, yanking her head back forcefully. "Scream for me, bitch." The batarian she had fought earlier is the one holding onto her.

Growling her pain she hisses at him, "Go to hell fucker." She opens her eyes, stinging from her broken nose, and glares at the second merc standing in the doorway to the cell, the other has her inside the cell. "I won't scream, and I will not break."

"We'll be the judge of that." The second remarks as he swings an undercut punch into her gut. The force of the punch nearly lifts her off her feet, sending her back against the merc behind her.

Gagging she spits blood from her mouth, "I can go all night, fuckers." She grins maniacally, hoping she doesn't look as terrified as she feels. This is a nasty situation and she has no idea how she's going to survive it.

She is interrupted from her thoughts as another punch connects with her stomach. Bending over, her knees threaten to buckle. The merc holding her yanks hard on her hair again, pulling her back upright.

Dizzy from blood loss, and no doubt the beginnings of a concussion. She can barely hold her eyes open, let alone stand on her own feet. Knowing she has to do something, she does the only thing she can do.

Pulling her head forward, she suddenly swings it back against the merc holding her. Bad luck for him he stands a head taller than her. So her headbutt connects hard with his throat. Gagging he lets go of her, stumbling back.

Without him to hold her up, and the pain that has lit up in her head from the impact, she falls to her knees again. The merc facing her delivers a sharp kick that connects solidly with her chin, knocking her head back. Her nose gives a sickening crunch sound as the kick sends her to the deck. Her face hits hard, her already broken nose breaks further, sending sharp pains into her head.

Rolling onto her back, she barely holds her eyes open as she looks up at the batarian she had headbutted; he is clutching his throat, gasping for breath. This makes her grin again, glaring hard at him. "Told you I won't break."

He swears at her and delivers a swift kick to her head. The shot hits her temple, her world reels in red-hot pain before she blacks out.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note** : Hello guys, got a new chapter for you. sorry on the delay, been having some crazy accident ladden weeks. Should be back on better track now.

Hope you enjoy! As always, Read and Review, Please!

...

Shepard groans from pain as she slowly comes awake. Blinking open her eyes, nearly swollen shut from her broken nose, she is laying on her side in the cell. The binders are still on her wrists, cutting painfully into her flesh from the beating she took. She looks around cautiously, the cell she is in has no rack nor any other forms of furnishings. It's just a barren room, small and cramped.

Easing herself to sit upright, she gasps in pain as her abdomen lights up in sharp burning aches. She's never broken ribs before, but she suspects this is what it must feel like.

"Oh good, you're awake." Mel's voice comes from the other side of the cell's barrier, "I was beginning to get worried."

Shepard looks up to see Mel is standing with her arms crossed. "What happened to leaving me unharmed?" she spits blood from her mouth, trying to sound braver than she feels.

"Yes, well, those two have been disciplined. They should never have laid a hand on you. My apologies."

"Yeah well, apologies do no good after the beating," Shepard snaps, her temper shot from all the pain she's in and what she had to endure.

"I understand." Mel taps on the keypad outside the cell, letting the barrier down. "As a sign of good faith, I've brought our doctor to take a look at you, get you fixed up."

"Got something special in mind for me that you don't want me battered and bloody?" Shepard's tone is purely sardonic.

"If you would rather our doctor not help you," Mel smirks at Shepard, "I can always dismiss her."

Shepard grits her teeth in frustration. She knows she's in too much pain though to refuse help simply because of her pride. "Fine. Let her in."

Mel nods to the woman beside her in medic scrubs, "Anna, see to our guest here. Report to me once you are finished." She then looks to Shepard, "We shall see each other again soon." Turning away, she walks out of the room.

The medic, Anna, steps into the cell and walks over to Shepard. Kneeling down she sets a medkit on the deck and opens it.

"I'm not going to hurt you." She says softly as she takes the binders off of Shepard's wrists. Bringing up her omnitool she smiles gently at Shepard, "I need to run a scan. To see the extent of your internal injuries."

Shepard sighs rubbing her raw wrists as she nods to Anna, "Go ahead." Closing her eyes, Shepard sits back against the wall of the cell. Letting Anna get on with her scan.

After a few moments of silence, Anna gasps suddenly. Prompting Shepard to crack an eye open, "I'm a right mess, aren't I?" She jokes weakly, wincing as a split in her lip opens up.

Anna reaches over with some gauze. Lightly dabbing away the blood from Shepard's lip. "I'm sorry."

Shepard opens her other eye to look at Anna full on, "What for?"

"Well, one for how they hurt you." Anna readies a bandage with medigel as she reaches for Shepard's face, "And two, for this." She gently places her hands on either side of Shepard's nose. Giving a sudden jerk, she pops Shepard's nose back into place.

It sets the younger woman gagging and leaning forward as blood flows down her throat again. "Gods above woman!" Shepard exclaims as she leans back against the bulkhead once more.

Anna places the medigel bandage across Shepard's nose. It instantly cools the pain and subsides the bleeding, "I'm sorry, but that was necessary. It won't heal as crooked now, and it should make breathing easier."

Shepard sighs in relief and nods, "Thanks. It does help."

"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do for your broken ribs. You've got three broken or fractured on your right side, one on your left." Anna gently wraps Shepard's head in a bandage. The medigel in it is cooling against the burn of pain across her temple and back of her head.

"Thank you." Shepard takes Anna's hand before the older woman can stand up, "Please, help me get out of her."

Anna shakes her head, "I'm sorry, I can't."

"Please, I," Shepard grips Anna's hand tighter in both her hands, leaning forward onto her knees, "I can't do this. I don't know what they want from me, but I can't survive another beating. Please, just help me out of this cell."

Anna gently pulls her hands free from Shepard's grasp, "I can't they'll kill me, just as sure as they will kill you too." She picks up her kit and backs out of the cell sealing the barrier once more. "I'm sorry."

Shepard groans as she sits back down and leans back against the bulkhead. She holds up her hands, looking over her wrists that Anna bandaged up. How the hell is she supposed to get out of here? She hates herself for begging Anna for help. Knowing she is sure to not survive another beating, it grates at her sending terror to her heart. What she wouldn't give for a way out of this hell.

She sits for some time lost in thought before slowly drifting off to sleep from sheer exhaustion and pain from her body.

…

Shepard is woken suddenly by a boot nudging her in her side. Unfortunate for her, it is the side with the broken ribs. She gasps, sitting bolt upright from pain and startelement.

"Good You're awake." a gruff voice catches her attention. Looking up she sees a human man looking down at her, a pair of binders in his hands, "Up you get, let's go. Boss is waitin' on you."

Shepard cautiously stands, crossing her arms she looks the man in the eyes, "I've had enough of your Boss's games and being her prisoner. I am not going anywhere."

"If you don't want another beating like the last one. You'll do as you're told." He warns her, "Now. do I have to drag you from that cell, or will you come peacefully?"

"Nothing about any of this is peaceful." Shepard remarks sardonically. She steps forward, extending her hands for him to put the binders on, "But if it means less bruises and ouches, then I'll come along."

"Good. Let's go." He claps the binders around her wrists. She winces from the tight metal around her already raw wrists beneath the wrappings.

She sighs, but steps out of the cell. As he takes a hold of her arm, she allows him to lead her through the myriad of corridors and passages until they reach the shuttle bay.

Once there, Shepard sees Mel is waiting by one of the shuttles, two other asari mercs are with her. As they approach Mel signals the asaris forward. They each take one of Shepard's arms, walking her up to the shuttle as the man turns and walks away.

"Got some new muscle to handle me?" Shepard raises an eyebrow at Mel.

"I find my girls are much more reliable than the batarians ever are." Mel remarks, she steps to the side and waves Shepard forward into the shuttle.

One of the asari holding her boosts her up into the shuttle as the other one follows, Mel boarding behind them.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note:** Hello lovelies! New content, yay! Sorry for my absence, I'm back now. I'll do my best to update a little more often.

Enjoy! As always, read and review please!

...

Shepard is steered to one of the seats of the shuttle. Taking a seat she looks to Mel sitting opposite her. "So, now that you have me. What are your plans?"

"That is on a need to know basis." Mel smirks at Shepard, "You don't yet need to know. Just do as you're told and all will come out fine."

"Can I at least ask where the hell we're going?" Shepard raises an eyebrow at Mel, "Seems I ought to know at least that much."

"It is somewhere you are familiar to." Mel says cryptically.

"You aren't gonna tell me, are you?" Shepard leans back in the seat, hands clasped loosely in front of her in the binders.

"You will see in due time." Mel crosses her arms. "We will be outfitting you with a coms straight to me. You will follow every order I give to the letter. And you may just get out of this alive."

One of the asari beside Shepard fits a headset across the back of her head and a combox nestles at her hip. The asari then undoes the binders and hands Shepard an Alliance NWU blouse to put on. Shepard frowns, this doesn't bode well, no weapon, no armor, and just a combox linking her to her captors. As she slides the shirt on and begins to button it up her mind tries to think on what they are needing from her.

After a few minutes of silence the shuttle makes a subtle bump as it docks. Shepard can tell they have docked in a shuttle bay of some kind; she can feel the slight pressure differential between shuttle and the bay.

"Here's where we part." Mel signals Shepard to stand. As the asari undoes the binders on Shepard's wrists, Mel continues, "Welcome to Arcturus station. I understand it also serves as home for you."

Shepard scowls at Mel, her eyes flashing dangerously, "Can we get on with this? What am I I here to do for you?"

"There is something here that belongs to, and has been taken from, me. You're here to get it back,"

"Oh, lovely." Shepard rolls her eyes, exasperated. "Care to give a girl a clue?"

"It's intel, and you are the ideal woman to get it."

"So it's my hacking skills you need."

"Look who's the clever boots." Mel laughs, "Alright, time to earn your way." At Mel's signal, the asari opens the shuttle door and waves Shepard out.

Stepping onto the deck of the station bay, Shepard glances around to get her bearings. A young officer approaches her,

"How can I help you, um, ma'am?" his tone is hesitant, unsure of her rank and how to address her.

Mel begins to speak into Shepard's com, giving her the details of her tale, "Lieutenant Commander Ambers," she introduces herself, "I am here to trade correspondence with the commanding officer." Shepard nearly balks at that part of what Mel is telling her. Speaking to, or stealing from, the CO is a surefire way to deep shit.

"Of course, ma'am. Let me lead you to the CO's office?" the ensign phrases it as a question.

"That won't be necessary. I know the way." Shepard gives him a crooked grin, "I'm an old hand on this station." The ensign nods, salutes, and continues on his way.

Shepard tilts her head to the side, stretching it as she comments on the coms, "I'm assuming that is where your intel is?"

"You're wasted as a marine, you really should reconsider your career path."

"Sorry lady." Shepard scoffs, "Been there, done that, and got the scars to prove it." She ignores Mel's laughter as she makes her way across the bay and into the nearest lift.

Selecting the level where she knows the CO's office is on, Shepard leans back against the rail to wait. The lift quickly travels and settles at her destination, giving a soft chime as the doors open.

Stepping out of the lift, Shepard turns down the corridor and makes her way to the CO's office.

Once at the door, she presses her hand to the console, it chimes and slides open. Revealing a older man in Alliance uniform, the bars of a commander shine across his shoulders and on his lapel.

"Excuse me, sir." She snaps to attention, giving the commander a salute.

"At ease," Shepard drops her salute as he continues, "How can I help you? You're new?"

Shepard sighs inwardly, preparing herself as Mel speaks commands into her ear. She relays verbatim what Mel orders, "Lieutenant Commander Ambers, sir. Communications attache from Sidon base. Here on orders to receive intel gathered from the," Shepard pauses briefly hearing the next bit from Mel before continuing, "Intel gathered from those most recent Eclipse mercenaries captured and held here, sir." Shepard thinks to herself on how mad Mel must be to be, no doubt, wanting whatever intel these mercs have.

"Of course." The CO looks her over, "Sidon base?"

"Yessir." Shepard responds to his question, wondering if she's stepping into dangerous territory yet.

"Right. No doubt your CO is just as vitally interested in the pearls of intel these degenerates had."

"I would imagine as much, sir." Shepard schools her face to neutrality. Using her skills to keep her face from showing her interest and confusion over what the intel is.

The CO quickly downloads info from his desktop to a datapad, handing it to Shepard, a quick look over shows her the intel on the pad is encrypted. "Take that to your CO, they'll have the key to decrypt it. Dismissed."

Shepard snaps a sharp salute to the CO, turns and leaves the office. The datapad tucked in her hand.

She retraces her steps, heading back to the shuttle, maintaining her composer and stoicness the entire way.

Stepping back into the shuttle she closes the door before looking to Mel, tossing her the pad, "Here you go, delivered as agreed. Now let me go."

Mel tosses it back to Shepard, "Decrypt it first, then we'll see about your release."

Shepard casts a dark look at Mel, turning the datapad's screen to face her she begins her decrypting process, in a few short minutes the datapad beeps her success. Tossing it back to Mel, Shepard scowls and crosses her arms.

Mel looks over the datapad then back up to Shepard, "Very well done. You're quite talented in your skills."

"I have my moments." Shepard shrugs, "Now, will you let me go? I promise not to report you, you can dump me here and be on your merry. May we never need to cross paths again."

"You're pert, and clever." Mel grins, "I like that. But, alas, no. Luther has more plans for you, and when he's finished, I have a few things I'd like to get from you myself."

Shepard growls and thumps her head back against the shuttle bulkhead, wincing from the pain of her bruised head. She has got to find her own way out of this mess. After how easily well this went, she knows they won't let her go, not ever or until she's dead.

It's up to her to her to get away and free.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note:** Hello my lovelies! Got some new material. Gonna go ahead and give fair warning that the end of this chapter, and much of the next, have to do with sensitive content.

And by sensitive, I mean I'm taking a dark turn and things may get a little nasty. So be fair warned, if you can't handle possible triggering subjects, then you might want to go ahead and not read the end of this and the next chapter. The story is taking a darker turn I wasn't anticipating, but one I think it needs.

Anyway, with that in mind, Enjoy! As ever, Read and Review Please!

...

Once back aboard their station, Mel leads Shepard through the myriad of corridors once more, coming to a stop at a set of doors with two mercs standing guard to either side.

"Evening gents." She smirks, "We have business with Luther."

"He's expecting you, ma'am." The batarian on the left speaks, Shepard is impressed to hear respecting tones from a batarian.

As the two women enter the office Shepard smirks and mutter, "I'm surprised. My past experiences with batarians have been, well, less than respectful. To put it politely. How'd you get them trained so?"

"Fear is a wonderful motivator." Mel returns Shepard's smirk. "Come, Luther has a great deal to speak with you about." She walks across the small anteroom and to the door on the far side. Placing her hand against the bioscanner, the door whisks open.

Luther sits behind a full desk, sitting relaxed in a plush desk chair, drumming his fingers together, "Ah, the ever talented Shepard graces us with her presence once more."

"Not by choice, trust me." Shepard growls at him, much to Mel's amusement.

Mel chuckles as she hands over the datapad that Shepard decrypted, "This is all the information on our captured sisters. Location, guard schedules, delivery reports, everything we need.

Luther's hum in approval sounds near about like a cat's purr to Shepard, who scowls. Realizing what she has been an accomplice to, and where these mercs will be next putting her to use.

"I see you have come to awareness of what our plans are for you." Luther remarks, "Good. I need your sharp wits and skills. You are to continue follows Mel's orders. Help her and her crew to release our fellows, and we can discuss the arrangements for your release."

"Why bother even pretending at this point?" Shepard snaps at him, "You and I both know very well you have no intentions of releasing me. Not ever. Not with the skills and knowledge I have. So why pretend that you will?"

"Your intellect knows no bounds. Does it ?" Mel remarks, cocking one hip in her stance. Had she eyebrows, Shepard suspects, one would have been raised.

"What can I say?" Shepard raises an eyebrow of her own, "Once a merc, always a merc."

"So I see." Mel muses softly.

"Since you put it so, bluntly. No, I do not have any intentions of letting you out of our grasps. You are much too valuable an asset to let slip through my fingers."

"You hear that?" Mel smirks, "Might as well get used to us, time to buddy up kid."

Shepard scoffs, "Yeah right. Keep living that happy daydream. Cause that's all it will be."

"For now, you will remain under Mel's care. In the morning we will have a ship prepared to go to this prison camp and begin the plans and execution of releasing our fellows. Dismissed."

Shepard allows Mel to tow her from the room, busy trying to formulate an escape plan It will have to happen on the way to the colony, there will be less guard around and she can hijack a shuttle for her purposes. Send out distress signal encrypted to the Alliance, and hopefully get a good distance away.

It's not ironclad, but it's a start.

…

After long hours,, Shepard looks up from her seat against the bulkhead of her cell, having not even been able to fall asleep. She is surprised by the sight of one of her batarian guards stands at the entrance, given the late hour.

"What's this? A late night caller?" Shepard smirks at his silence and scowl, "Not even a hello? Alright then. Let's get this over with." She pushes herself to her feet, arms cross. She steps cautiously forward. Not interested in incurring any more injuries from these heavy handed, short tempered as she'd love to exact some of her old feelings of revenge upon them.

The batarian has other intentions however and, as she reaches the doorway, he drives his fist hard into her gut. Doubling her over, his knee slams up into her face. Thanking the gods he missed breaking her nose again, she reels back into the cell. Stumbling to stay on her feet, she brings her hands up in defensive position as she feels blood run down her cheek from a busted brow.

"Cheap shot on a prisoner, don't ya think?" she growls at him, not letting her guard down as a second batarian guard enters the cell. "Two on one now, is it?" Backing into the corner, she puts the bulkheads at her back and sides, keeping the batarians in front of her.

The first one that hit her stays in the doorway, effectively blocking her escape route. The other advances on her, a manic gleam in his eye. "You're mine bitch."

She recognizes him as the one whom she taunted before, the one who seems to have an affinity for calling her that, "Well, I hate to break it to ya buddy, but you so ain't my type. Too male, ugly, and way too much a batarian. If you knew anything about me, you'd know I've tangled with your kind before. Many times. And I never come out on the losing end."

"This time will be the time you do lose." He smirks, drawing a stun wand from his belt, "And I'll be sure to leave the marks to prove who's bitch you are. You won't be standing so proud after I'm done with you."

"All empty threats." She taunts him, her voice light and teasing. Fighting to keep her old fear and terror at bay. She prays it doesn't show in her eyes. 'He's not _him_.' she tells herself sternly in her mind, 'You aren't a child. He's not _him_.'

He scowls and rushes her, swinging the wand above his head. As it comes down in an arc she ducks and rolls to the side, away from the door. She spares a glance to be sure the other hasn't entered the cell. One on one is how she has to deal with this. Taking a quick jump to the side to avoid another strong swing of the wand, she hears its crackle as she twists away from his backswing and it whistles past her ear.

Dropping to a knee she continues her spin to sweep her leg out in a trip, forcing him to back away or go sprawling. He jumps back in at her as her leg sweeps by, wand raised above his head like a club.

It comes down faster than she anticipated, striking her left shoulder as she pushes to the side from her crouch. Her entire left side lights up in sharp agonizing pain, her muscles contracting from the force of the power radiating through her body. Her momentum carries her out from under the contact of the wand and she gets shakily to her feet as her left side continues to spasm and seize as the current works its way out of her body.

She has to dodge another blow from him as she's trying to shake feeling back into her arm. Ducking and rolling in towards him she growls, getting pissed at being played with like a toy.

Coming up under his swing and unawares, her low kick connects with his stomach, forcing him back, she follows into a spin on one leg, her other whipping out from behind to catch him in the kidney. He grunts from pain, barely holding onto the wand.

Swinging the wand wildly to drive her back he gasps for breath. Ducking around it she jabs him sharply in the tender spot under his arm, forcing him to drop the wand. She kicks it out of his reach when he dives to grab it. Her foot connecting with his face, she hears the wet crunch as his nose breaks. Dropping down she drives her elbow into the back of his neck, effectively crushing his spinal column. He collapses, dead in an instant.

Having been focused on her opponent she forgets about the second guard. That is, until the wand jabs into her back, spasms shake her whole body. He follows this up with a flat footed kick to her back, the force of the blow sending her tumbling across the body and against the far bulkhead.

Her world lights up with white hot pain, her vision echoing the sparks being cast off the wand. Dazzled and stunned she is helpless as he advances on her, his face one filled with rage.

"Oh goddess…" She whispers, terror gripping her mind and body, freezing her in place more strongly than the effects of the stun wand. "Please goddess, no…"


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note:** Hello my lovelies! Once again, a tough Chapter ahead, but fear not. We do come out of this alive.

 ****TRIGGER WARNING****

Please use discretion while reading.

 ****SENSITIVE TOPIC WARNING****

Contains sexual assault and torture

...

I won't say enjoy like I normally do, cause that would be morbid and potentially sadistic. But please have a good read, and as always Read and Review please!

...

...

...

He looms over her, smirking as he kneels down, "You just earned yourself a level of hell that I don't even pity you for. He was my brother." His hands clench around her throat, cutting off her oxygen.

Movement comes back to her and she claws at his hand clasped tight, bruising her neck and sending fire through her throat as she gasps for breath. So focused on his hand choking her, she isn't initially aware of his other as he rips her shirt open, exposing her entire chest and abdomen to the cold air of the cell.

The chills that spread across her skin mix with the panic spreading through her body, blocking out all reason and conscious thought as her mind focuses on one thing, terror of what is going to happen. She can feel his grip on her throat lessen enough for her to get air in. Not enough to concentrate, but enough to keep her from blacking out.

"Oh, no." He growls, "You don't get the escape of unconsciousness to escape this." taking his hand from around her throat, he grabs her hair tight, slamming her head back against the bulkhead.

Her world shifts in haze as she coughs, trying to get oxygen back into her body, she is unaware of the pressure of his body lessen. That is, until her arms get wrenched above her head and she feels the cold metal of the binders snap around her wrists.

"You're helpless, and all mine bitch." His voice growls as her vision finally begins to clear, she sees he is standing over her the stun wand crackling in his grip. "I'm going to savor every second."

Dazed still, she doesn't know when, but at some point she has slid down the wall and is laying on her back across the deck. Feeling her arms above her she tries to yank them to cover herself. Her efforts are met by a resistance, preventing her from moving them. She cranes her head back to look; the binders have magnetized and effectively sealed themselves to the deck, keeping her from moving her arms anywhere.

Nothing is holding her legs however and she catches him unawares; curling her knees to her chest, she kicks out as hard as she can from the awkward position. Her feet connect hard with his groin and stomach, doubling him over.

"I'm never helpless." Her voice is a hard growl, deep and dangerous. "You're nothing but a man, a pathetic one at that. So pathetic he can only get his nethers twitched from taking a helpless gal by force to get off on." Her voice breaks off in a choked scream as he stabs the wand hard into her bare stomach and chest.

She can feel her skin burning as the electrical current races through her whole body. Inducing violent shakes and convulsions. She clenches her mouth shut hard to keep from biting her tongue or screaming again.

The manic gleam in his eyes through his scowling face tells her just how much he enjoys making her scream. As he draws the wand back, her body still shakes with aftershocks and she sets her resolve refusing with every fiber of her being to scream again. To give him that satisfaction. No matter what he does, she will not scream.

He stabs her again with the wand, into her breasts, the sparks arching off sting her face, her chest a searing pain as the convulsions begin again. He doesn't lessen the pressure for long minutes. The smell of her flesh beginning to char gags her, causing her to cough and hack as he finally removes the wand. After her burn on the Dauntless, she refuses to even glance at the one that is sure to be on her chest. Instead, she looks up to the batarian as the coughs subside.

"One truly pathetic fucker." She spits at him, her jaw aching from her clenching it so long.

His reply to her, doubtlessly a sneer of some form, is choked off as a blade erupts from his throat. His body crumples as Shepard blinks in surprise and shock at who her savior is; Her mind still in the daze from the aftershocks, it takes her a few moments and blinks to put a face to the shock of platinum blonde hair that kneels beside her.

Shepard feels some covering placed over her as the platinum haired woman leans over her, releasing the binder. "Hey, kiddo, your safe." The familiar voice jolts Shepard's mind into focus.

"Deunan?" She gasps out, her vision clearing more she tries to jump up and hug her friend, "Deunan!"

The movement dislodges the jacket over her, Deunan's jacket she realizes seeing her friend's heavily tattooed bare arms. She only has a moment's notice as her chest and body scream at her in pain, sharp burning pain. Too much to bear she gasps Deunan's name once more as her world lights up in pain and she crumples back to the deck. Her body shakes uncontrollably, pain ripping wimpers from her tortured lungs and throat.

"Hey, easy does it Kels." Deunan turns Shepard onto her side, holding her friend tight until the shakes ease briefly.

"Medic!" She hollers over her shoulder, "Get yer sorry ass in here, now!"

A young woman rushes into the room, seeing Shepard's condition she immediately administers a sedative, letting the other woman ease under the effects, her body stilling and her moans subsiding.

The medic begins to liberally spread medigel over Shepard's chest and stomach, "These will need skin grafts." Her hands shake and her face is pale and sweating seeing the blistered and blackened skin, "There's not much I can do."

Deunan's face is set with grim determination. Even in her own years as a merc, before and after she met Shepard, Deunan has never seen this level of sadistic torture. "Only batarians…"

"I'm sorry, lieutenant?" The young woman drapes a thermal blanket over Shepard, looking back up to Deunan she sees the fury blazing in the older woman's grey and green eyes and it unnerves her.

"Batarians." Deunan spits on the body of the one she killed. Seeing her knife still in his neck, she leans over to rip it free and sits on her hunkerbones by Shepard, "Foul, disgusting, pathetic, sadistic monsters."

Oh." The medic boots up her omnitool and opens a coms channel, "Medic Reinhart calling the SSV Morrigan."

"Go ahead Reinhart." comes back across her coms.

"We have located and secured lieutenant Shepard in the station's detention area." Reinhart reports, looking over Shepard she remarks, "Have medbay readied for incoming trauma. Lacerations, contusions, potential internal bleeding and concussion, nasal fracture, and extensive severe burns."

"Copy that, Reinhart. Med team is standing by. Morrigan out." The coms go silent as Reinhart lowers her omnitool.

Deunan Sits on the deck beside Shepard, her rifle across her lap as she strokes her friend's cheek. "Easy does it Kels, I'm here, I gotcha. And you better hold on, Lin is waiting for you." She settles back, waiting on the recovery team to arrive. Her senses on high alert and her position allowing her a clear line of sight through the cell doorway.


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note:** Hello my lovelies! I hope we all made it through that last chapter safely. Have a much lighter one in store for you here. Taking a nod back, or forward then back, to Broken in this one.

Hope you enjoy! As always, Read and Review please!

...

"Kelly, stop." Lin remarks, swatting Shepard's hand away from her chest for the dozenth time as they walk the citadel, "You'll tear the grafts."

Shepard scowls but drops her hand as she crosses her arms, "It itches." She grumbles, shooting a glare at Deunan who fails to cover a laugh.

Walking the presidium of the Citadel station, Shepard marvels at its beauty like she always does, this being her third such visit. It's been two weeks since they rescued her from the mercs, the first week she spent on the SSV Morrigan recovering from her multitude of injuries received at the hands of the batarian mercs. Her burns were the worst of her injuries, requiring more skin grafts than her arm had aboard the Dauntless. The Alliance has given her another two weeks R&R, along with her friends after their rescue of her, and capture of the merc base. Shepard doesn't know much beyond that, her friends refusing to share the details. She does know however that both Mel and Luther escaped, and have not been heard from nor seen since.

"Let's go to Murphy's." She says suddenly coming to a halt, her hand reaching up to rub at the stings of her healing grafts again.

"If you'll stop scratching, we can go." Lin offers. Smiling at Shepard, she is glad to see her love seems to not be changed from her trauma. Her and Deunan are taking turns keeping a close eye on her, just in case she starts to crack. Lin fears the state Deunan found Shepard in would have a larger impact on her love. If it has, Shepard isn't showing it.

Shepard scowls deeper but drops her hand, setting off toward the lifts, "Bane will be glad to see us." She remarks as they enter one of the lifts and select the lower wards.

Deunan smirks when their favorite bar comes into view, a tussle has spilled out of the bar and into the street.

Bane, their big gruff bar owner friend, stands in the doorway, ham sized hands on hips, "And ye best keep yer sorreh tarses out here!" He turns and beams gladly at the three women in Alliance NWUs walking up to him.

"Heyo Bane." Deunan greets him with an equally glad grin, taking his hand and clapping him on the arm.

Bane ruffles Deunan's short hair with a guffaw of laughter, "Look here who the devil drug into my fine establishment!"

Shepard steps forward and waves to Bane with one of her crooked grins, "Bane, my good man. Lookie here who i brought ya to meet." She drags Lin forward, looping an arm about her waist.

"Well, Ain't I seein' a sight." He chuckles, "Shep done gone and got herself a fine respectable lass."

Lin blushes and laughs, "It's good to finally meet you Bane." Smiling she shakes his hand.

He claps her on the shoulder, steering the pair into the bar, Deunan hanging back as she watches the tussle.

Lin looks back to call after her, but Shepard silences her with one of her wolf's grins,"Let her be, she's trying to earn a extra cred or two."

"She better be buying the drinks then." Lin scoffs, watching Deunan out of the corner of her eye as they come to a table.

Shepard comes up short, seeing some of their crewmates from the Spartivento lounging around a large table, playing cards. They cheer at seeing the two women, waving them over to come join.

Shepard grins and grabs a pair of seats beside each other for Lin and herself, "What we playing friends?"

The afternoon dissolves into evening, the evening into late night as the games of cards continue around the table. Drinks flowing freely, and crewmembers coming and going. Each eager to hear the tale from Shepard of her kidnapping. She laughs and jokes them off, all while her whiskey drinking never slows. One after another glass goes down, the server finally just bringing over a bottle of Shepard's favorite whiskey.

Grinning she laughs as she tips the server and cracks open the bottle, attempting to become oblivious to the rest of the bar room.

Late into the evening Shepard glances up to the bar and her whole body and mind freeze in terror. A face, one she hasn't seen for four years, a face that has haunted her nights, robbing her of sleep and peace. The face belongs to a batarian, lounging against the bar, he's surveying the room with a fierce glare. Shepard instinctively ducks her head to hide her own face as his gaze drifts over their table.

"Kels?" Deunan notices Shepard's sudden paleness, her hands shaking slightly as she takes a much healthier drink than usual from her glass. "You alright?"

Shepard clears her throat and downs the rest of her drink to steady her nerves, looking up she grins her sly grin at Deunan,"Yeah. All good. Just thought I saw, someone. No biggie." She pours another glass, downing it as well, her grin softening as she catches Lin's eyes, reassuring her love she's ok.

For the rest of the night, Shepard's attention is split between the batarian at the bar and her game with her friends.

As she sees him shift to stand and leave, she excuses herself to the table of crewmates, "Need more booze." She jokes, waving her empty bottle as she gets up.

Walking over to the bar she blocks the door as he reaches it. She can feel her old vengeance burning in her chest, demanding she kill him. Here and now. But her Alliance training, and her sense of awareness remain in control, telling her this is no place to kill the torturer of her childhood.

He stops to look her over, glowering at her blocking his way. She can smell the lingering scent of booze. Heavily mixed with the foul stench of piss and dung. Looking him over, she sees how thin and wasted he is. This isn't the strong, arrogant rapist of her past. She briefly fears for the safety of other girls and women he could continue to hurt. Seeing him full on, she realizes he is nothing more than a waife of a man. Too drunk and wasted to be of any danger to anyone.

He's paid and continuing to pay for his crimes.

His voice is a low growl, hardly intelligible as he demands she move or pay for it. Stepping aside, she lets the monster of her past walk away. Feeling secure in knowing she did the right thing.

Lin steps up beside Shepard as the batarian leaves, placing a gentle hand on her lover's elbow, "Who was that? Do you know him?"

"No." Shepard shakes her head with a soft sigh, "No, I thought he was someone else." She turns and kisses Lin softly, "Let's get back to the games. I could use some more whiskey and I am intent on keeping my winning streak going."

The wolf's grin on her face, and the mischievous glint in her eyes makes Lin laugh, slapping Shepard's arm lightly, "I had a better idea."

"Oh?" Shepard raises one of her eyebrows comically high, "And that would be…?"

"Well," Lin takes Shepard's elbow in her hand, leading her from the bar, "I am beginning to feel a bit, neglected." The twinkle in her eye has Shepard laughing. Lin echoes the laugh, glad to hear the harsh crow's laugh of Shepard's.

"How shall I go about making my love feel she's all mine, and mine alone?" Shepard loops her arms around Lin's waist as they come to a stop at an expanse of viewports looking out over the serpent nebula.

"Oh, I have an idea, and a place." Lin steps back from Shepard's embrace, winking at her as she turns and begins walking down the ward. Shepard sees her putting that extra sway in her hips and that slight saunter Lin does when she's at her most intimate of moods, and grins wickedly. Breaking into a sprint to catch up and follow the woman she loves. All thoughts of the batarian monster gone from her mind.


End file.
